Guy of Gisborne rode through Sherwood Forest on his way to Knightley Hall. It had been a full week since he had last visited Marion, what with Robin Hood's men keeping him so busy. Although Marion had made it clear that she had no feelings for him, they had had moments of tenderness that had fueled his hope of winning her over.

The sound of galloping hooves and laughter made him stop his horse. He barely had time move aside as a white stallion shot past, with two women, one of them obviously a lady, sitting astride it and giggling like a couple of schoolgirls. He stared after them, then realized that they, too, were heading for Knightley Hall. Kicking his own horse into a gallop, he pursued them down the road.

"Looks like we got soom coompetition, M'lady!" Thorn shouted over the horse's thundering hooves; a broad, slightly dangerous grin on her face. She was sitting in front of Rose, in fact she was sitting in front of the saddle, as was always the case when they decided to go for a run.

Rose looked over her shoulder at the raven-haired, black-clad man galloping after on his black steed, and grinned as well. "Well then!" She replied. "Let's see what he's got!"

Thorn laughed and spurred the horse on with a shout of "Hyah! Coom on Earnest! Hyah!"

This was going to be fun.

The two horses, one black and one white, sped down the road, with the former quickly closing the gap between them. While Thorn focused on the road ahead, Rose kept looking back at Guy and making "come on" gestures. Guy reacted by spurring his horse on even more.

Finally, they arrived outside Knightley Hall. Rose leapt off of Earnest with ease, but Thorn's grip had been so tight on the reigns that it took a moment for her to uncurl her fingers (all of which gave off wince-worthy pops). Her fingernails had dug so deep into her palms that they bled.

"Oh, Thorn. Didn't I tell you not to let the adrenaline get the better of you?" Rose said, as Guy rode up. "This is exactly what happened the last time too. Here." She handed Thorn a handkerchief so that the red-head could wipe the blood off her hands.

"Mind telling me what your hurry was?" Guy asked. He wasn't angry at them, just surprised that they hadn't stopped when he pursued them, and he had a half-grin on his face from the excitement. It had been a long time since he had met someone who could out-ride him.

"No hurry, good sir." Rose said. "We were just having a bit of fun. I was always a wild child, unlike my dear cousin."

"Marion? Marion's your cousin?" Guy looked at her and could instantly see the family resemblance. Except for the fact that she had blue eyes instead of green, she could have been Marion's sister. "It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Guy of Gisborne. Has Marion spoken of me?"

"Marion and I have not talked for quite some time. The only reason I am seeing her now is because Thorn needed to be at her mother's deathbed, so we decided to visit my cousin while we were in the area. My name is Rose, by the way."

Marion came out of the house and immediately ran to hug her cousin. "Rose! You're here! I wasn't expecting you for another hour yet."

"Yes, I know. Sir Guy was kind enough to give us a merry run on the way here, and that made the trip go much too quickly."

Marion turned a skeptical eye on Guy. "A 'merry run'? Guy?"

"Aye! He's gud. I'll give i'm that." Thorn put in. "No' many people can get tha' cloose to Earnest, especially startin' oot wi' tha' mooch distance 'tween 'em."

"That's quite a compliment you just received, Guy." Rose said. "Thorn is very critical when it comes to horse-riding."

"Well, she had best be more respectful of her betters." Guy growled, and scowled when this only brought about a flurry of giggles from Rose and Thorn.

"Well. Shall we go inside?" Marion asked, taking the black-clad man by the arm to keep him from doing something rash. His gaze immediately softened, and he allowed her to lead him into the building. Still chuckling to themselves, Rose and Thorn followed.

Hidden by the trees, Much watched Robin seeth as Marion led Guy into Knightley Hall. Lady Rose followed, but Thorn paused for a moment in the doorway. Turning, she looked directly at them and winked broadly before following her mistress.

Much blushed and Robin's jaw dropped.