While Much delivered his last sack of flour, Robin and Marian visited the other three families who had paid pennies to have their grain ground at the mill, restoring their money to them. "There's a special on grinding grain today, courtesy of me!" Robin boasted.
Marian watched warily as Robin allowed himself to be hugged by his serfs, and even hugged them in return! She knew better. Her father was ingraining decorum into her head, teaching her how to be kind to those beneath her, while still maintaining the proper distance. She knew Robin was taught this as well, but chose to dismiss it.
"Why should I be cold to good people who show me honest affection?" he asked, when she reprimanded him.
She had asked her father a similar question, and gave Robin a similar answer. "Because one day you'll be their lord, and they need to treat you with respect."
"I plan to earn their respect," he answered, with a swagger. "Right now, I'll take their affection."
Marian didn't realize how hungry her friend was for affection. Since the death of his warm and loving mother, nearly four years ago, his father had retreated behind his grief, and grown distant.
Reuniting with Much, who was still unaware his satchel held silver, Robin led his friends into Sherwood Forest, careful to skirt around Locksley, lest his father's servants discover him and drag him home to his mathematics lesson.
The trio stopped their chatter when they came upon Friar Tuck, sleeping off a heavy dinner under a tree.
"He'll be in trouble, too, if he doesn't wake up," Marian worried. "Sext should be ringing soon, and he needs to lead prayer. If the abbot finds out... Should we wake him?"
"I have a better idea," Robin said, grinning. "Ever see a monk dance?"
"Dance?" Much exploded. "What do you mean, dance?"
Robin snickered, his face shining with fun.
"Robin...what are you planning?" Much was nervous. It went against God to play pranks on men of the cloth!
But Robin had no such qualms.
"The exercise will do him good," he grinned, springing into action.
Carefully lodging the end of a stick under the hem of the friar's cassock, Robin next trickled honey from a nearby beehive along it.
"What are you doing?" Much demanded anxiously, worried not only about angering God now, but also about Robin disturbing the bees.
Marian wasn't pleased, either. "Robin, ants will crawl right up his legs!"
Robin's eyes twinkled as he nodded his head. "Yes," he snickered. "That's the idea, Marian."
"But it's mean!"
"No, it's not," he defended, slightly worried at her suggestion. The last thing he wanted to be was mean. "It's fun!" he convinced himself. "Ants don't bite, but they do tickle! And everyone likes to be tickled!"
So saying, he threw himself on Marian and began tickling her. Marian collapsed onto the ground, laughing hysterically. "Stop! Stop!" she cried, delighted at the fun.
For the second time that day, Robin felt an overpowering urge to kiss her. Her eyelashes looked so dark and thick atop the creamy smoothness of her cheek, where roses seemed to bloom just beneath the surface. Being so close to her took his breath away! What was wrong with him? he wondered. Leaping to his feet, he jumped away, confused.
Tuck snored, and began to fidget as ants followed the trail of honey and ventured onto his ankles.
Much was wringing his hands and pacing. "As if we weren't in enough trouble already!" he fussed. "You couldn't stop at making our fathers mad, could you? Oh, no! Not you! You had to go and anger God!"
"We better hide," Robin advised. "Up this tree'll be the best place to watch the show!"
"Show? What show?" Much asked. "And God can see us in a tree, you know!"
"Shut up, Much," Marian scolded. "You'll wake the friar."
"I thought that was the whole idea!" Much complained. "Unbelievable!"
Robin loved it that Marian didn't need his help climbing trees. She still wore her rags and muddy beard, and he thought she looked adorable. He was certain he looked dashing in his painted on beard as well.
From the treetop, they watched as an army of ants climbed up Tuck's legs. Tuck awoke at last, squirmed about uncomfortably, then stood and began leaping about, flapping his cassock and swatting at the ants. Even believing he was unobserved, the strongest language out of his mouth was simply, "Oh! Oh! I know ants are also your creatures, Lord, but why did you have to make so many of them? And why did they have to chose me to torment today?"
Childish laughter coming from above made Tuck freeze for a moment, until the swarming ants made him leap about once more.
"Good dancing, Friar!" Robin couldn't resist calling down. "That should work off all the meat pies you ate!"
"You...you...you rapscallion!" Tuck cried. "You're behind this!"
"Me?" Robin asked innocently. "Now, Friar, how could I control the path of ants, up here in this tree?"
"I don't know, but I'll find out when your friend Much there sits across the confessional from me! If not before!"
Robin laughed, so infectiously Tuck couldn't help but laugh along. He'd managed to rid himself of most of the ants by this time, restoring his good humor.
The distant sound of church bells stopped his laughter. "Sext!" he cried. "I'm late!"
Lifting his skirts, Robin and Marian enjoyed yet another laugh as they watched him hurry away. Even Much forgot to be nervous and chortled to see him go.
"Well, I must say, he took that well," Much said, climbing carefully to the ground.
Robin didn't climb down. He stood on a branch and executed a perfect backflip, showing off for Marian.
Marian watched him, impressed, but not saying so. "Teach me!" she begged.
"I will, I promise, but not today. I think I saw the Prince and Princess that direction, and she was shooting! I want to give her some more advice first, before the Queen takes them home to Oxford. Come on!"
Marian glowered, but followed Robin, with Much tagging at their heels.