Hey people! I'm not sure if anyone likes this story or not... since I haven't gotten a review since Chapter 3. I know people are reading it, my Traffic tells me that much, but do those same 'people' like it? This where you, the reader, comes in. Please, oh please, review!

Marian didn't hesitate in running. She took off, shoving past guards, men, and women. She could hear the sheriff's men pounding after her, intent on catching her. However cowardly running away seemed, she couldn't think of any other way: not when it was the sheriff she was dealing with, he was too high of an authority. If he had been a simple man, then she could have used the plan that Robin and she had thought up, but not on the sheriff.

It made her angry that she was being forced to this level of weakness. What had happened to her life? It was falling apart a bit more each day, and there didn't seem to be one thing she could do about it.

She dove into a dark side street and hid behind a large barrel that conveniently leaned against the outer wall of an inn. Leaning up into the wall she could hear the men inside boisterously getting drunk. The guards ran down the alley further into the darkness. She wanted get up and walk back into the fair, but that would surely only result in a similar escapade. She thought for a while, producing a plan from some corner of her mind.

Cautiously, she stood up and began to search for a back door into the inn. There it was!

"I hope this works," she mumbled, as she took her hair out of its braid. She fixed her face into one of horror and distress, not that hard in her circumstance. "Please let me in!" she called as she pounded on the door, all the while hoping the soldiers wouldn't hear and come running. "Please! I just need help, I..." What next? If she said she could pay, she'd make herself a direct target for petty thieves. The door was yanked open, and Marian quickly stepped back and dropped her eyes, trying to play her part. In the doorframe stood a hulking man with a large stomach, not looking the least bit sympathetic.

"I'm sorry, I just need to—"

"I don't care for girls who come banging on my door in the middle of the busiest day I have. Especially not beggar girls who steal their brother's clothes."

"I'm not a beggar. My family—they disappeared yesterday morning, leaving me. I don't know where they—"

"Just leave, and stop making a racket."

"I can pay. My family forgot that there was some money under the mattress," she offered. "I just want to buy a dress, perhaps from one of your daughter's if they have a spare. I really can pay." As she figured the soldiers wouldn't look twice at a girl dressed as...well, a girl. She'd be invisible.

"How much?"

She shoved half the money she had carried with her into his hands. He took one look at it and gestured her inside. As they stepped into the kitchen he called out, "Rinn! Come here, I have a different job for you." A girl about Marian's height and age stopped kneading bread, skittering over to her father. "This girl is buying your spare dress, take her to your room so she can change."

--*--

"Where is she? Ivan, do you see her?" Robin had left the tournament, with Ivan following. Ivan hadn't stopped asking questions about Marian until a few minutes ago. Each of his questions were met by half answers that really didn't tell him anything. They'd been searching for at least an hour, had gone from one end of Nottingham to the other, and were now headed back toward the tournament field, and still Marian hadn't appeared.

"If you expect me to find her in all these people, you're truly mad, I've barely met her."

"Then leave. If you can't help just go." Robin was growing more anxious by the moment, and although he had no doubt that Marian had escaped the guards, it worried him that he couldn't find her. Soon, he'd start asking after her, but how could he pose such a question? 'Excuse me, I'm looking for a girl with dark hair and green eyes, she's wearing men's clothing and running from a bunch of soldiers. You haven't seen her have you?' Oh, yes, that was sure to work.

"I can't even remember what she looks like, Robin, so how about we go into that inn there, and get some food. I'm too hungry to tell one person from the next."

Robin wasn't sure whether or not he liked the idea, but food did sound inviting... "All right, but we ask around for her inside." Ivan gave him a grateful look. "But no drinking, I need you to keep your wits."

Inside the inn, Robin and Ivan found two seats next to the far wall. In a few minutes, a serving girl approached. "What'll it be?" she asked, eyeing Robin and Ivan with a casual business-only gaze.

"Whatever you think will best suit us, but nothing to get drunk on," Ivan told her.

She flashed a smile and said, "I just finished a fresh loaf of bread and there's a fine pot of soup in the kitchen. How about that?"

"Fine," Robin answered, handing over the appropriate amount to pay for two of such meals. The young woman took it and headed back to the kitchen.

--*--

"There's some good-looking men out there," Rinn told Marian, as she came back into the kitchen. "Two just came in, I like the one. Why don't you take them their food? Get a good look at them and tell me what you think."

Marian had been told she could keep her money and work for the dress, the inn was so busy that they wanted an extra hand. Rinn proved to make good company, although she was a bit too preoccupied on men. "They're all the same to me, but I'll try."

Rinn gave a little giggle, and peeked her head out the door into the hubbub of the eating area, dragging Marian with her. "See? That one there," she said, pointing. Marian took one look and almost doubled over laughing. "What's so funny? They're—"

"I know them, that's all. Which one is it that you fancy?" Rinn nodded toward Robin, who had his back to the kitchen, and Marian felt an odd twist in her stomach. Robin had called her jealous earlier, and now it seemed that she was being territorial over him. What was wrong with her? She didn't care for Robin, so what was the problem if Rinn did?

"Okay, that's Robin, I've known him for six years now. You'll like him even more once you get to know him."

"Would you introduce me? Wait, no, that might not be a good idea, he looks like one of those rich fools who overlord us, and the other one looks to be the same. An innkeeper's daughter wouldn't interest them," Rinn said disappointedly.

"Robin doesn't mind me," Marian said to her, to keep up her ruse of being common. "So I don't think he'll mind at all. Is your father going to give you a break from work anytime soon? If he is then I think I could introduce you."

"During the fair he usually lets me go once the noon crowd leaves, but I have to be back well before supper crowd. He'll probably let you leave then too, there won't be much else to do, and you've almost worked it off anyway. Do you think that'll be enough time?" Rinn was ecstatic, ready to burst with happiness. Marian could swear that Rinn's fingers were shaking as she ladled out the bowls of soup. Marian herself was cutting the bread as if it were her worst enemy. Nothing was making any sense to her at all.

"Yeah, it will. I'll tell him when I take out their meal."

--*--

Robin heard the serving girl come up behind him, but her footsteps sounded different, so he decided she wasn't the same one. Her dark hair covered her face when she leaned in to set the bread and soup on the table. "Is there anything else I can getcha?" she asked in an Irish accent that surprised Robin. He wondered what the girl was doing so far from home. "No drinks for ye, lads? Ale? Beer? Back home, me da always says, 'a good drinkin' never did a man harm.' Ah, well, s'pose it's not the same fer every lad."

"Actually," Robin said. "I'm looking for a friend of mine. Do you think you might have seen a young woman with dark hair and green eyes dressed, uh, as—"

"Robin, it's stupid to ask a person where she herself is."

The accent was gone, and now Marian was laughing at him. Why hadn't he even bothered to look at her face? He felt more incompetent then a town fool.

"What are you doing here?"

"I traded a good bit of work for this dress," she said gesturing to the homespun she now wore. Robin noticed that she was also barefoot, looking ever the part of a common woman. "I knew that nobody would bother a normal girl; soldiers won't even look twice at me."

"There, see?" Ivan scoffed at Robin. "And you were all worried about her." Marian raised her eyebrows, knowing that this was filling in just another piece of that ever-present knowledge of what was going on.

"No, I knew she would be fine on her own, and I was right; she's even managed a disguise for herself."

"Either way, I should be able to leave once the noon crowd is gone, so be here then. Oh, and a new friend of mine, Rinn, will be joining us for a while. She's the innkeeper's daughter, the one who used to own this dress."

Was it his imagination, or had a slight shadow crossed her face just then?

"See you then," she said as she headed back to the kitchen.

"That's new," Robin said.

"What?"

"Marian enjoying female company; something I thought I'd never see."

--*--

Almost an hour later, Marian and an elated Rinn met Robin and Ivan outside the inn. Marian could feel the infatuation dripping off the other girl, and as much as she had grown to like Rinn, it annoyed her.

"Where to?" she asked, knowing Rinn was far too caught up in Robin to speak. Slapping her out of it was starting to become rather tempting, more than tempting, even. Why? Why was she being so defensive over this?

"I think we should start walking and see what we want to do as we go," Ivan said. Robin shrugged, and in the same movement edged slightly away from Rinn, who was leaning closer to him with every second.

"Fine with me," Marian said. "Rinn, do you care?" It was a vain attempt to get her to snap out of it. Rinn giggled and shook her head. If she realized how stupid she was acting, maybe she'd quit, so Marian made it a personal goal to get her out of her stupor. She had a feeling Robin would appreciate it, since he was looking more and more uncomfortable with Rinn's attention.

Fifteen minutes later and Marian hadn't succeeded. Rinn was still walking in Robin's shadow and flirting nonstop. Every word she spoke was directed at him, never at anyone else.

Marian decided to ignore it as much as she could, to get rid of the strange emotions that were steaming inside her.

--*--

All three of them felt awkward with Rinn's behavior, Robin especially.

With Marian so close by, getting attention from another girl was the last thing he wanted. He wanted to tell Rinn to shove off, that he had a girl already. But that girl didn't know, didn't want to, and was walking not four feet away from him. What confused him was that Marian was acting uncomfortable and angry with Rinn, skirting around downright yelling at her; asking direct questions of her, and trying to distract her in any way possible.

"I heard that there was a fire-breather in the main square," Marian said.

"That could be fun," Robin agreed.

"I expect there will be a crowd," Rinn put in airily. "We might have to get close and squeeze together."

Enough. She couldn't do this, and it was wrong for him to tolerate it since...well...since he liked somone else.

He was about to tell her so when something caught his eye. A small filthy boy, who looked to be about eight, was being held roughly by a snotty looking Norman. He wasn't able to identify who the Norman might be since he couldn't see his face. He felt an odd responsibility for the boy, like he needed to do something for him.

He nudged Marian, she was, after all, his conspirator in all things. "Hey, I'm going to help that kid. Any ideas?" Rinn was obviously ticked that he had turned to Marian and not her. Too bad.

"I'd say just do it, and take it as you go. Things will come to you as the moment demands. Be careful."

"You aren't coming?"

She was taken aback by his question. "What with everything that already happened today, I thought it would be safer if I didn't."

"Safer? You, worried about being safe? What is the world coming to?"

"Stop tempting me!" She sighed, and said, "Might as well."

"Good. Ivan, keep Rinn here; Marian and I will be back."

He and Marian made their approach. "All right, Marian, that's your little brother. You were supposed to watch him but you lost him around noon, and haven't seen him since. You're worried sick and afraid of what your parents will do if you can't find him." Robin stopped a little ways away and prodded her forward. She assumed her role perfectly, it was one of the many things he loved about her.

"Hey! That's my little brother! Please sir, what has he done wrong?" The boy was perplexed, but tried not to show it.

The Norman turned to glare at her. Oh no, not again. The sheriff's eyes were afire with anger, both at her and her 'little brother'. "He cut my purse, and you, girl aren't much better. What makes you think you can speak to me like that? I swear, I'll see the both of you in prison." Geoffry de Lacy grabbed her upper arm.

Now it was Robin's turn. "She may not be able to speak, but I am."

"And who might you be?" There was an undercurrent of annoyance in his tone, letting Robin know that he didn't like being interrupted.

It was a near repeat of last week. "I am Lord Robert of Locksley, youngest son of the Earl of Huntington."

"I've never heard of you."

"You have now. I want the boy and his sister sent back to their family. I witnessed him being threatened by a gang of older boys, who forced him to turn thief. What else was he to do?"

"Ah, yes, there's a fine example of boys being boys. But, you see, I am still short a purse thanks to him." He held up his cut strings as testimony. They were sliced cleanly through, marking the boy as an experienced cutpurse.

"I'll pay for a new and better one." At this the sheriff shoved Marian and the boy away. Playing the protective sister, Marian placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. Sheesh, but she was good.

"Aren't you the giving sort?" the sheriff mocked.

"To put it simply, yes."

--*--

Marian guided the boy away. Once they were out of sight of the sheriff, she put a few pennies into his hand and told him to go home. With a parting look over his shoulder, he ran off.

She returned to Ivan and Rinn, and noticed that Rinn was boiling in rage from top to bottom. Was all this because Robin had asked for her help rather than Rinn's? Marian had to wonder what she had seen in Rinn to begin with. Whatever it was, she didn't care now.

Suddenly she remembered the dinner.

"Ugh," she said aloud. If she didn't get moving she wouldn't have time to get ready for that dinner.

"What?" Ivan asked.

"I have to go. Tell Robin I'll see him next week."

--*--

"Where's Marian?" Robin had returned and Marian wasn't there.

"She had to leave," Rinn said happily. "Didn't even say why."

"You left out that she said she'd see him next week," Ivan told her as she shot him a disgusted look.

Robin was tired of Rinn's antics, and he could only pretend to ignore them for so long. He should just tell her the truth, and hope she wouldn't be insulted. "Rinn, before you get any ideas, I should tell you that I've been recently betrothed." Rinn's face fell. "I don't know what you thought could ever happen between us, but I'm sorry, it's not going to." He hated breaking girls' hearts. He hadn't had to do it that much, but enough to have a dislike for it.

And enough to know what came next: yelling.

"I should've known that you'd be like the rest of them! So why haven't you given this speech to Marian? I'm sure she'd love to hear it, since it seems to me that she has something for you too!"

Although that would be convenient, Robin knew it wasn't true.

"She and I are just friends, and she doesn't want to be anything other than that; Marian doesn't need to hear it."

"Oh yeah, like I'll believe that!" Rinn screamed behind her as she stormed off.

"Women," Ivan said. "I'll never understand them."

"You aren't alone there, I don't get them either."

So... What do you think of Rinn? Marian's reaction to her? Robin's reaction? The cutpurse thing? Please let me know... Thanks! I promise that I will thank you personally in my AN before the next chapter!!!