Robin's anger toward Vaisey escalated, rather than cooled, during his trek toward Nottingham. The entire time he was running toward the town, he pictured the image Cecily had described. His beloved Marian, so brave and true, being led to the scaffold, her wrists bound in rough ropes behind her back, her clear beautiful eyes brimming with angry tears of shame.
Shame! Marian was meant to feel shame! It was unfathomable. Inexcusable. Unforgivable. Robin wanted to put an arrow through Vaisey's heart for doing that to Marian, if indeed the deranged monster had a heart.
Arriving at the town gate, Robin recklessly disregarded his safety and charged the two sentries, swiping at them with a few swift blows with his bow, then kicking them aside. He entered the town alone, grim and determined to find Vaisey and make him pay. But first, he needed to announce his presence.
Trusting the sheriff was in his chambers, amusing himself with his birds, Robin planted his feet, pulled an arrow from his quiver, nocked it to his bow, and aimed it to soar through the sheriff's window. He turned in fury when Will stopped him, for the young carpenter had caught up with him, and now grabbed Robin by his right arm.
Out of breath, Little John, Djaq, and Much soon joined them. Allan had stayed behind at the camp to watch over Maggie, and was now sneakily plotting with her devious ways to make Cecily's life miserable.
An emotional Much tried to reason with Robin, but nothing he said could calm his master. Little John, at least, manged to drag Robin out of the open, into a back alley. Djaq, with her tremendous calm and soothing voice, finally broke through Robin's irrationality, and made him see reason.
"Marian never told you," Djaq said, pausing between phrases to allow Robin the opportunity to air his emotions. "I did not realize she is so brave."
"She has the stomach of a lion," Robin boasted proudly, "and the heart of a dove."
"She is remarkable," Djaq agreed, knowing this was the best way to calm her leader. "Have you ever told her?"
"Told her what?" Robin asked defensively.
"How you feel."
Robin didn't answer. After his furious rush toward Nottingham and his unquenched thirst for vengeance, he felt empty, drained of all emotion. He felt like a small boy again, wanting his mother to comfort him.
But it wasn't his mother he really wanted. He wanted Marian. He needed her. He needed to see her, to look in her eyes and tell her, with a look if he could not find the right words, that he admired her.
No. His heart went deeper than that, far deeper. He loved her. He loved her with his whole heart, so fiercely and so beautifully it filled up his entire being.
He'd tell her so. He felt compelled to tell her. But first, he needed to find her.
"Go back to camp," he ordered his men.
"Not without you," Much objected.
"Please, do as I say. I'll return shortly, my friend. But I have business here first."
"Business? What business?" Much asked. "Robin, you can't kill the sheriff!"
"Killing we do not do," Little John reminded him.
"That's what you taught us," Will stated emphatically.
"I'm not going to kill him, though he deserves it," Robin assured them. "I'm not going anywhere near Vaisey."
"Well, that's a relief!" Much cried. "But what business, Master? What are you planning?"
"Trust me, Much, and let me do what I need to."
Djaq alone understood. Rounding up the others, she said, "The sooner we go, the sooner Robin will finish his business and return to camp."
"I still don't like this!" Much exclaimed. "In fact, I hate it! You shouldn't be alone here in Nottingham! What if the sheriff's men catch you, or Gisbourne?"
"Just go, Much, alright?" Robin pleaded. "Do it for me."
Much heaved out a sigh of exasperation. "Well! If you put it that way, what choice do I have? But be careful."
"Thank you," Robin said gratefully.
He watched his friends adjust their hoods and dart away. He almost felt he was walking in a dream, lightheaded from the beating of his heart. His palms were damp, but his determination firm. Adjusting his own hood, he moved surreptiously from the alley, then caught his breath when he saw Marian riding slowly by on Vesper's back.
He voiced her name, yet no sound came from his throat.
She couldn't ride by, not before he told her! He had to stop her, but how?
Spying a blanket hanging on a clothesline, he yanked it down and threw it over his head and shoulders. Then, adopting a running limp, he manged to reach her and got her attention by standing in her horse's path.
"Alms, kind and beautiful lady?" he asked, in a convincingly raspy voice.
Marian saw straight through his flimsey disguise. Drawing rein, she jumped down from Vesper's back and hurried with the "beggar" back to the privacy of the alley. Once they felt safely alone, Robin threw off the blanket and stared seriously into her eyes. "Marian," he said, his voice catching in his throat.
"I'm glad to see you," she interrupted. "I need your help."
"My help?"
"I need you to bring Maggie here. Gisbourne needs to see her."