With Robin moving his camp every few days to avoid discovery and capture, Marian had no idea where she might find him in the forest. That is, if she was looking for him, which she wasn't, she made certain to lie to herself.
All the same, she had found someone from Robin's gang, though definitely not the outlaw she longed to see. Or rather, as she quickly reminded herself from her hiding place behind a weathered oak, she couldn't care one way or another which outlaw she saw.
The outlaw carrying on a conversation with himself while stomping his feet through fallen leaves and waving his arms wildly before him to brush away spider webs, was far too noisy to be Robin. Nor did he possess Robin's catlike grace, confident manner, nor strikingly handsome looks. He was, however, wearing Robin's green and gold vest.
"Much!" Marian sighed quietly to herself.
"Fine!" Much was saying. "So, you've had a set back with Marian. Alright, more than a setback. She won't marry him, you know! She couldn't! I mean...Gisbourne! He is...well, aside from being a murderer, he's revolting! She doesn't love him, Master! She couldn't! I realize he's...well, he's taller than you, and broader through the shoulders, and...and...well, handsome, and full of animal...animal...What's the word I want? Something to do with magnets, I think."
"Magnetism?" Marian asked, from her hiding place behind the oak.
"Exactly! Magnetism! AHHHH!"
"Women are forced to marry men they don't love every day, you know, Much," Marian said stoicly, stepping from behind the tree to show herself.
Much was so stunned to see her, he had difficulty speaking. "You!" he cried, aghast, once he'd recovered from his shock. "You're just like Robin, you know, jumping out and startling a person, when he was only trying to...trying to... Pardon me, milady. I was only...only...Very funny!"
"I wasn't trying to be funny, Much," Marian apologized. "I was only trying to speak with you. Obviously, Robin told you about my engagement."
"You're not going to go through with it, surely!"
"What choice do I have, Much?"
"Choice? That's what ought to be obvious!"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, you could marry Robin!"
Marian drew her breath in sharply, then found she couldn't speak until she swallowed the lump that had somehow formed in her throat. "Don't be ridiculous," she scolded, more harshly than she felt, for she suddenly felt weak and helpless. "Robin...Robin hasn't asked me."
Again! First Gisbourne, demanding to know what she would answer if Robin had posed the question, and now Much, assuming he had!
Except, of course, he hadn't. Nor would he, ever.
"Well, you should marry him anyway," his loyal servant decided.
She scoffed. "Assuming he wouldn't run away...Where would we live? On the run, in the forest? If I loved Robin and he loved me, which ended years ago, if indeed it ever truly existed, and he asked me to marry him, which he never will, I still couldn't forsake my father. He needs me, Much."
"Other people need you, too, milady."
"What other people?"
"You know who I mean!"
"Do I?"
"You should!"
"How, Much? How am I supposed to believe it, when Robin goes out of his way to tell me he 'can take care of himself,' as he likes to say?"
"Ha! I like that! He may not say it...he doesn't ever say it, but I take care of him, I think you'll find!"
"I know you do, Much. You take care of him far better than I ever could, if I even wanted to, which I don't."
"You can't... Surely you aren't saying you'd rather marry Gisbourne than Robin? Do you? Unbelievable!"
"Gisbourne, for all his faults, desires to marry me. He won't be running away, months before our wedding."
"Unbelievable!"
"And I could...I could help the people of Locksley, Much. I could...I could soften Gisbourne, and teach him to be kind to them. I could stop his brutality, and..."
"I don't understand! You...you want to marry him?"
"Of course I don't! But I have no choice! My father...! Besides, is my plight any different from any other noble woman's, Much? We aren't able to marry for love. We're barter, in the marriage trade."
"Robin always claimed you were smart, Marian, I mean, milady! Pardon me, but you aren't sounding very intelligent."
"Never mind, then, Much. I'll leave you to your hunting. I assume that was your errand?"
"Yes. I need to catch something for dinner. I'm looking for, you know...rabbit, but I haven't seen many rabbits lately."
"Well, enjoy whatever you catch. Be sure Robin eats his share. Will you do that for me, Much?"
"Of course, milady."
Marian paused, not wanting to go. Words began spilling out of her, before she could stop their flow.
"I will help the people of Locksley, Much. I'll watch over them, for Robin. And I'll..." She paused again, then mentioned, "I'll see them tomorrow night. Gisbourne's hosting a party, in Robin's house, in honor of the King's birthday. I...need to go now. My father will be worried."
"A...a...a party?" Much sputtered. "Who's invited?"
"You know...the usual sycophants."
"Syco...what?"
"Flatterers, Much. The so-called nobles who are too frightened, or greedy, to stand up for justice."
"Oh, them! Well, have fun at the party. Or, I mean, try to have fun. At least there's sure to be something good to eat, yes, milady?"
Marian gave Much her half-smile, then turned and walked away, to find Vesper and ride toward home.
Wasted. She'd wasted her time, coming to the forest. Her heart wasn't any lighter than it had been while the seamstress fitted her new gown. But at least her mind was clearer.
Life wasn't completely without purpose. Since she had to marry the man, she could do something to bring about some good. She could work to change him, teach him to care for his fellow-man, so he could learn to practice kindness. She would do everything in her power to help Robin's people.