Array Of Light

Robin had disguised him self many times before and had always thought it rather fun to pretend to be someone you weren't for a little while. But never in his time as an outlaw, or in the Kings service, had he dressed as a woman! Robin still couldn't believe he let Marian talk him into this, she claimed it was the only way to get Arianna inside with out raising suspicion among the servants, he thought she was simply getting pay back for something he had either said, or done, in the past.

"Robin!" Marian hissed, smacking him upside the head. "Stop daydreaming and help me carry her inside. Honestly, do I have to do everything my self?" She huffed with her hands on her hips.

Robin gently picked up Arianna, whom Marian had changed into one of her working dresses, and followed Marian out of the woods and towards the house. As soon as the trio were near the house a male servant, who had been tending the garden, rushed towards them "My Lady, are you alright? Your father was worried about you! Who is this?" he asked, looking at Robin and Arianna.

Robin looked at Marian, he hadn't thought of what they would say to people other than they had found Arianna on the side of the road. Thankfully, Marian was ahead of the game on this one. "I was leaving the market place this afternoon when I saw this young lady injured on the side of the road. This woman, she gestured towards Robin, agreed to help me bring her home and fetch a healer."

"Lady, please allow me to carry her inside for you, for it is quite the distance from the market to here." The servant stepped towards Robin with his arms stretched out. Robin took a step back and held Arianna closer to him, "Thank you, but I've carried her this far, what's another few steps?" Robin answered in his most lady like voice he could muster. The male servant gave Robin a disapproving look, and mumbled a "As you wish".

Marian turned towards the man who had just spoken, "Matthew, go and fetch the healer and bring him here at once, we will take this woman up stairs to my bedroom." The man gave a small bow and left towards the healers house.

"Quickly now before someone else, such as Gisborne, comes along!" Marian whispered to Robin.

"You know, it's been sometime since you invited me into your bed chambers Marian" Robin said teasingly as they made their way into the house and up the stairs towards Marian's room.

"If you want to get your self killed by my father for insinuating such things, keep talking as loud as you are and I am sure your wish will be granted. Also, I've never invited you in, you've always snuck in, there is a difference" Marian shot back, as she opened up the door to her room. "Now put her on the bed and then you can leave."

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" Robin asked wriggling his eyebrows at her, he always did know how to get her flustered, another talent he figured he could add to his list.

"Oh you insufferable man! If I had something to throw at you I would, then maybe it would wipe that smirk off your face" Marian spat at him. "Now if you don't mind I need to get some rags and hot water so I can start cleaning her wounds…Robin, does she have a name?"

"Arianna" he replied, the smile falling from his face and turning into a frown, her name is "Arianna". Robin moved aside as Marian went in search of some rags and a basin for the hot water. "We came across her in the forest when we ambushed The Sheriff and Gisborne, they had taken her as prisoner for some crime, either real or imagined. She saved Will during the scuffle, she knew how to handle a sword, and that beast of hers, he was a sight to see! Hoofs flailing in the air, attacking on command, it was if he could read her mind Marian, it was simply incredible! After the scuffle was over D'jaq startled her horse and Arianna scolded D'jaq by name. No one had mentioned any names, other than mine, I thought perhaps she was a spy of some sort and asked how she knew D'Jaqs name. She grew panicky after I started questioning her, and before I knew it she had started to flee. Naturally I chased after her, for why would she flee if she was not guilty? However, with her naturally secure seat, she and her steed moved in perfect harmony. The obstacles in their path seemed to simply melt away, much to my frustration mind you.* Her only mistake was when she looked back at me, taking her eye's off the path ahead, that's when she was knocked from her saddle and hit her head on some rocks that decided to break her fall" He explained to Marian.

"Someone who was better than you in horsemanship? That's a first. But her fleeing, and her odd clothes dose raise some suspicion as to who she is, and whom she might be working for. I know that sometimes I wear men's pants when I go riding, but they are not made out of the same material as her pants. Despite these enigma's, she still needs a doctors care, no matter who she is, or whom she is working for." Marian explained as she and Robin walked down stairs to fetch some hot water, so they could start cleaning Arianna's wounds. Just as they reached the bottom of the stairs Marian's father, Edward, appeared "Where have you been, and who is this?" He demanded as he looked at Robin. Marian had a dreadful habit of randomly disappearing for long periods of time, especially when she was supposed to be attending an outing with Gisborne.

"I went for a walk down to the market, and along the way back I found a young woman who had been injured, and this kind woman (she gestured towards Robin), helped me carry her back here so she could get medical treatment" Marian quickly explained. "Now if you'll please excuse us father, we need to get some hot water to start cleaning her wounds until the healer arrives" and with out waiting for an answer Marian brushed past her father with Robin following close behind.

~/~

Soon Matthew returned with the local healer following behind him. "My Lady, I have brought you the healer as you requested. Is there anything else you require?" he asked.

"Not at this moment, thank you Matthew, you may go" Marian replied. She then turned her attention to the healer.

"Thank you for coming so quickly Mr. Desslar, it is much appreciated"

"Your quite welcome Marian, now lets take a look at our patient shall we? Can you tell me what happened to her" Mr. Desslar replied while starting his examination of Arianna.

"She fell off…" Marian started to say before Robin cut her off.

"What we think happened is that she fell off something high, possibly a horse" Robin finished. If the healer thought it was odd that Robin should cut Marian's sentence off before she could finish, he did not say so, instead he kept his focus on Arianna.

Mr. Desslar checked Ariaana's head, where she had hit it on the rocks, and made a "tsking" sound as he poked and prodded around it a bit. He moved on feeling her arms, sides, legs, checking for broken bones and internal injuries. Thankfully he found no broken bones or internal injuries, which meant this young woman was lucky if she indeed had fallen from a horse.

"Her head wound will need stitches, and kept clean. Other than a few minor scrapes and bruises I can find no broken bones or internal injuries, she is very lucky if she did fall from a horse. If you could fetch me a match, and some hot water I will stich the wound" Mr. Desslar said to Robin and Marian.

"Here is some hot water, rags and box of matches" Marian replied to the healer.

"Thank you." Mr. Desslar said, as he grabbed a rag and dunked it in the hot water to start cleaning Arianna's wound. When he was satisfied with the cleaning of the wound he pulled a match from the matchbox and stuck it until it caught fire. He then held the match under the needle for a few moments, to sterilize it. He then pulled out some thread from his bag, threaded the needle, and began to stich up the wound. During this time neither Marian nor Robin said a word to each other, they simply watched the healer with anticipation as he finished up his work.

As Mr. Desslar finished sewing closed the wound, he spoke to Marian "be sure to keep this area clean to prevent infection. If it does become infected you can apply this tonic (he gestured with his head to the table where a blue vial stood) two to three times a day, directly on the infected area it's self. She should also be kept quite for a few days as the wound was pretty deep, and with any type of head trauma, there can be damage to the brain that we won't know about until she awakens. If there become any issues, you know where you can find me. I'll see my self out, no need to show me to the door." And with that, Mr. Desslar picked up his bag and left the room.

~/~

I dreamed such a strange dream I thought to me self as I started to wake. I dreamt that I had traveled back in time, and met Robin of Locksley, ran away from him; he had thought I was a spy, and had fallen off my horse during the chase…I couldn't wait to tell my friends about this crazy dream! I opened my eye's, sat up and took in what was around me, this room wasn't my room, and why did my head hurt? I touched the back of my head and felt stiches…the dream, it couldn't have been real could it? Just then an elderly lady came into with a basket of clothes on her hip. As he put it down on a chair next to what I assumed to be the closet, she looked over to the bed and saw that I was awake, she spoke to me with an accent that I couldn't quite place.

"You're awake now? The mistress will be pleased to know this, I will go and inform her at once." And before I could answer her question she had left the room.

I wondered just who her mistress was, and why I was wearing a dress when I had been wearing my riding attire earlier. Who had stitched my head up, had I really met Robin hood? My head started to hurt even more as question up question started to pop up in my mind. I heard footsteps shortly after the old woman left a young woman (late twenties early thirties) came into the room.

She had long mousey brown hair that curled towards the ends. She had a nice, clear, smooth complexion. Her eye's were a very pretty blue grey, which was unusual because most people with brown hair had brown eyes. She had a slender build and looked to be around 5' 7", a little shorter than myself.

"I'm happy to see you're awake. We were concerned that you might not wake after sustaining such an injury." She paused for a moment and then continued "How is your head, is it painful? If it is I have some medicine here that will help ease the pain."

"Thank you, but it's not that painful. I'm sorry I don't want to seem rude, but who are you, and where am I?" I asked.

"My name is Marian, and you are in my house. After you were injured, you were brought here so you might receive medical treatment. The healer said you were lucky that nothing was broken, considering the spill you took. And what might your name be?" Marian asked me.

I looked at Marian in astonishment, this couldn't be THE Maid Marian from Robin Hood could it? If it was then all this was real, Robin Hood was real, the Sheriff and Gisborne were real…My vision started to swirl as I took in everything that had happened.

"Are you alright? You look pale all of a sudden." Marian asked me.

'Yeha I'm GREAT! I just found out that I somehow traveled back in time, pissed off one of the most powerful men in Sherwood, caused Robin of Locksley to think I'm a spy, fell off my horse running away from Robin, and now I'm in your house…I'm just fuckin' great!' I thought to my self…

"I'm fine, just trying to take everything in is all. It's all a little confusing to me right now, some things are blurry and I can't quite make them out. My name is Arianna, Arianna O'Conner." I told her.

"Arianna, that's a pretty name. Not a very common name around here, where are you from anyway? Your accent tells me you've either spent a great deal of time in Ireland, or you are Irish. Given your hair, and complexion I'd say your Irish. Am I correct?" Marian asked me.

"Yes." I replied, I didn't give her where in Ireland I was from, or what time period, at this point I wasn't sure if I could trust her not to turn me into Gisborne, who would gladly hand me over to the Sheriff…

"I feel I have asked you enough questions today, would you like me to bring you something to eat? After you eat you should rest, the healer did advise to get as much rest as you could, to help speed up the healing process. If you are up to it tomorrow, I have a friend who would like to meet you" she stated.

I smiled sheepishly, "I am a little hungry, now that you mention it. I have to ask though, are you The Maid Marian, the one whom the legends of Robin Hood talk about?" I asked her, I knew I was taking a big risk, but I just had to know so I could figure out my next move.

She looked concerned at my question " I am maid Marian, but I do not know these legends you speak of. Robin and I were childhood friends before he left for the crusades, he is an outlaw currently." She skirted around my question. "I will go and get that soup I promised you." She said as she got up and walked towards the door.

This chapter took forever! It was a total of four pages long, and I kept re-writing parts of it because I wasn't happy. The next chapter is going to be even harder to write!

Chapter title is a song by Joe Bongiorno

As always reviews are welcome, and looking for beta reader!

* Thanks to Kaylla Tuinega for helping me with that sentence!