It has been a very long time since I updated this fic and for that I am sorry. My life has been a roller coaster in the last couple of years - but the end is in sight, even if it is going to be a long time coming. The good news is that I have a chapter for you guys, albeit a shorter one, and I just need to write the rest. Hopefully there won't be gaps like this in the future. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter, especially since it has been a long time in coming. Also, major thanks to LadyKate1 for betaing the chapter for me. Your feedback was immensely helpful!

It was still dark when Robin rode back into Nottingham. The guards at the gate to the castle almost refused to let him in until they realized that it was their missing sheriff. One of them offered to wake Allan, but Robin waved him away. Better to let him sleep.

He dismounted and led his horse to the stables, where he untacked the beast and brushed it down himself. He led it back to its stall and let it loose. After checking to make sure the horse had hay and water, he left the stables and headed up the stairs to the keep. He caught a glimpse of the night watch but did not bother to stop and talk to them. He needed sleep. Then he would deal with everything else.

His bed was a welcome comfort. His back ached and his arms still hurt from being tied above his head for so long. It would not be a pleasant day, he was sure.

Bright sunlight streaming into his room woke him some time later. Robin squinted at the offending windows and groaned. It had to be late afternoon by now. The sun was low in the sky and he felt somewhat rested. His sleep had been surprisingly – blessedly – dreamless.

He sat up, groaning softly when his back protested and his shoulders ached. As he had suspected, the soreness had not gone away. It served him right, he supposed. His sore muscles would be better later. He was grateful that he had not had to wander around Sherwood all night to find a way out or one of the old camps.

Robin yawned, then pushed himself out of bed. He was still wearing his clothes from the day before. In his haste to sleep, he must have forgotten to change out of them. No matter, he thought. He stopped, a frown appearing on his face. He was in a surprisingly good mood considering the events of the previous night and everything he had yet to sort through. He felt lighter than before, as though the weight of the anger he had carried with him for the last two years had been crushing.

It took him a minute to shake off the strange feeling and several more to retrieve the soft doeskin breeches at the bottom of his trunk. He had not taken them out of the chest since the day he had put them in there. He left the hood he had worn with them where it was, choosing a patterned jerkin instead.

He retrieved his bow from where he had left it with his saddlebags by the door, running his fingers over the smooth wood for a moment. He put it back, choosing the sword belt next to it instead. It was unlikely he would need either where he was going, but it was certainly better to be prepared if something did happen.

He closed the door to his rooms behind him, nodding to the guard who stood in the hallway a few doors down. The first place he wanted to go was Marian's room. But he knew that was the last place he needed to go. He needed to find Much and Allan first. Speaking to Marian would probably take some time and it would be better if he saw to his two closest friends before he spoke to her.

Allan was having a quiet conversation with a small group of off-duty guards in the courtyard. One of the others – a young man called Robert, if he recalled correctly – noticed him first. Robert said something to Allan. Allan turned to look at him, his expression immediately wary. "Is there somethin' I can do for you, Sheriff?"

"I need a moment of your time, Allan. Privately, if you don't mind."

Allan looked at him for a moment, then sighed. "Fine." His irritation was obvious in the way he moved when he stepped away from the others. He moved to stand by Robin, crossing his arms in front of his chest. He looked at Robin expectantly.

"I'm sorry."

Allan frowned. "What?"

"I said I was sorry." Robin paused. "I've been an ass. I've treated you like you were a servant at best when I should have treated you like a friend. You served well in the Holy Land when you did not have to and you've been a fine Master-at-Arms. Thank you for staying. You've been a good friend when I have deserved it the least."

The other man stared at him for a moment, his mouth falling slightly open. "Hold up," he said. "Did you just apologize to me?"

Robin nodded. "I did."

"What's gotten into you? Did you fall off your horse an' hit your head?"

Robin chucked softly. "You could say that." A rare smiles brightened his face for a moment. "I had some sense knocked into me. Things are going to change around here."

Allan looked nothing short of bewildered.

"Why don't you take the rest of the day off? Tomorrow, too, if you like," Robin suggested. "I'm sure we can handle things here. It's not like we're going to have outlaws breaking into the castle."

That was enough to snap Allan out of his shock. "Not unless you made someone else angry," he retorted. The glimmer Robin remembered seemed to return to Allan's eyes. It was faint and he was still obviously wary, but it was an improvement. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm goin' t' the tavern."

Allan turned to go, gesturing at the men he had been speaking with to follow him. Once they had started moving, he turned back to Robin. "It's good to 'ave you back," he said. Without waiting for a response, he trotted after the others, pausing only to catch one of the guards on duty to tell them where they could find him if they needed him.

A sense of relief settled around Robin. Allan's willingness to forgive him was a surprise, but it was a surprise that he was grateful for.

"How come Allan gets to be first?" a voice behind him asked.

Robin turned to see Much standing in the open hallway by the courtyard. He was leaning on the sill. He was clearly irate already.

Robin grinned. "If I had found you first, you would have been first, Much."

His friend looked somewhat appeased by the explanation. "That does not make it alright."

Robin sighed. "Much, you know that I would not intentionally slight you."

Much's eyes narrowed. "I am not so sure anymore," he replied.

Robin could see the same wariness he had seen in Allan in Much now. It made his chest ache to think of what he had done to his closest friend. "Regardless, I am sorry, Much. My behavior has been inexcusable. Especially to you. You have been a better friend than I deserved."

They stood in silence while Much took in his words. A deep frown furrowed the other man's face. After a few minutes, he sighed. "Alright. I forgive you. But I am your friend, Robin. You do not treat friends as you have treated me – or Allan."

Robin nodded. "I know. I am sorry, Much. It will not happen again."

"I am not the only one you should be apologizing to. You've treated Marian very badly."

His jaw tightened. "I know," he said. "I intend to speak to her next."

Much gave a sharp nod. "Good. You should."

Robin took that as his cue to leave. A sense of unease settled in his chest as he climbed the steps and headed for the hallway that led to her rooms. He had no doubt that she would be cross with him. After all he had done, he deserved it.

It was strange how he had thought nothing of his behavior toward her since his return to Nottingham but now that he realized the damage it had done he could not stop replaying it in his head.

He came to a halt outside her door and hesitated. What would he say to her? What could he say to her? Apologizing did not seem like it was enough. Not after all that had happened between them.

Robin's hesitation continued for what felt like hours before he finally raised one hand and knocked on the door. The thuds made his stomach turn. He felt like he was a boy again, chasing after Marian when he had upset her and she had gone home to Knighton.

The door opened with a jerk and she filled the space before him. The sight of Marian in the doorway, blue eyes flashing, took his breath away.

"What do you want?" Her voice was soft – softer than it should have been. She was angry. He could see it in the line of her mouth and the fire in her eyes.

"I came to apologize."

Marian stared at him, disbelief coloring her expression. Her mouth dropped a little and both of her eyebrows went up. "I beg your pardon?"

He was silent for a beat, rocking back on his heels as he gathered his thoughts. "I came to apologize to you," he said again. He prayed that she would not shut the door in his face. God help him, he knew he deserved it.

"Did you fall off your horse and hit your head?"

It took all he had not to laugh. "You are the second person to ask me that this morning," he said. "No. But I've come to my senses. May I come in?"

Marian did not respond immediately. Instead, she let him stand outside her door and searched his face for something. He was not quite sure what she was searching for, but she clearly saw whatever it was. She stepped away from the door, leaving the space open for him. "Fine."

He had never been so grateful to have her grudgingly agree to anything. He paused as he stepped through the door and met her gaze. "Thank you."

She closed the door behind him, turning to cross the room. She sat down on the bed, indicating that he should take a seat at her desk. "Keep your voice down. Roger is sleeping."

Anxiety hit him as he sat down. He closed his eyes and took a breath, trying to center himself again. "My behavior since I returned from the Holy Land has been abominable and inexcusable. I am sorry, Marian."

His words hung between them. Robin felt like he could not breathe as he waited for her response.

"It was inexcusable," Marian said softly. "I had no other choice. Do not tell me that everything is a choice. There were no other options. You said you would find a way and you did not. I made the best of the situation at hand. Guy threatened my father. He threatened me. If I had not married him there was no telling what he would have done."

Robin's gaze dropped to his hands. "I know." He paused, struggling to gather the thoughts that had begun to scatter. He found that it was more difficult than he had expected. He settled for what was left, but Marian cut him off.

"I did not want to marry him, you know. I had to. Guy did horrible things – I will never deny that. But beneath that, he was a good man. He was lonely and he was driven by a sense of honor, though it was certainly warped. Before you came back, he was trying to help me quietly undermine the Sheriff. It by no means made up for what he had done, but he was trying."

"He was still a traitor," Robin said flatly.

That made her sigh. "I know. He told me the truth when I was pregnant with Roger."

"And you still defend him?"

"I make no excuses for his actions. He was wrong. He did horrible things, Robin, but he was trying to make things right. He was trying to be a better man."

Robin studied her, then looked away again. "You think I should have asked King Richard to pardon him, don't you?"

"I think you should have given him a chance instead of letting your desire for revenge cloud your judgment. Guy could have been your ally if you had delayed his execution and given him a chance to prove himself."

He gritted his teeth. "That assumes we would have been able to work together."

"You could not have set aside your differences for the sake of England?"

That made him glance up at her for an instant. "He stole my life, Marian. Until recently I thought he killed my father. He blamed me for what happened to him. I do not think we could have worked together given the circumstances."

Her eyes narrowed. "You mean he stole me and your estate."

"Among other things." He paused, rubbing his palms together. "That does not excuse my behavior toward you. I blamed you for things that were beyond your control. I blamed you for my own failure to change the situation. Nothing excuses that. I am sorry."

The silence was suffocating. He looked up to see Marian watching him intently. There was conflict in her expression; he took that as a good sign. There was a chance she might forgive him.

"Thank you," she said finally.

Robin's entire body tensed. His breath caught in his throat. He opened his mouth to speak and she cut him off.

"You're right. There was no excuse." There was a moment of hesitation, then she reached out to put her hand on his. "I cannot promise you absolution, Robin. That is in your own hands. But I will forgive you – in time."

Relief flooded him. "That is all I ask." The words came out rushed and he could hear the anxiety still in his voice. "I should be the one thanking you. You did not have to listen."

"No, but I did hope that you would come to your senses at some point."

"You couldn't know that would happen."

She shook her head. "Perhaps not, but I know you. Robin Hood never lets anyone down, even if it takes him time to sort out the situation."

Robin snorted. "Robin Hood—"

"Is dead. You keep saying that, but I do not think you believe it any more than I do."

"I was an outlaw then. That is not who I am anymore."

"Robin Hood was a symbol of hope. You still are. You brought Vaisey down. You brought King Richard back alive. I may not have forgiven you, but the people have." She let her hand drop from his.

He rose, unable to keep himself from pacing any longer. He could feel her watching him as he moved. He stopped and attempted to speak once, but stopped himself and kept moving.

"Robin, stop."

He stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her. "You're trying to get me to do something."

He expected her to argue, but she smiled instead. "I am. I'm trying to urge you to let yourself be the man you were – the man I believe you still are under all of that anger."

He stood there for a moment, then nodded. "I'll keep that in mind," he said. He hesitated, then continued. "I'll lift your restrictions. I apologize for those as well. If you need anything, come to me and I will do what I can."

That brought the first genuine smile he had seen on her face in more than a year. "Thank you, Robin."

He offered her a faint smile and a nod. "I owe you that much," he said. He turned to go. Marian did not try to stop him, but he glanced back at her as he opened the door. "Will you join me and the others for dinner?"

She nodded. "Of course. Goodbye, Robin."

He slipped out and headed toward his office. He would have to deal with Raymond at some point, but the worst was over.

Posted 6/21/2015