The following morning, Little John surprised Marian by telling her they needed to talk.

John, after all, rarely had much to say, and almost never initiated conversations. Marian was curious about what he could want.

"What will you do?" John asked her.

"What do you mean?"

"Wednesday, it is. Gisbourne wants his answer."

Marian sighed angrily. "He will just have to wait then. You ought to know my answer is "no." You heard me tell him. How could you even think I would accept him?"

"Tell Robin."

"Why?"

"Protect him. Protect us all."

Marian stared in disbelief at Little John. "Protect him?" she repeated, failing to understand.

When Marian felt Little John's grimey hand touch her shoulder, she resisted with a small shudder, but immediately quieted under its soothing influence. The strong man tried his best to explain.

"Gisbourne will not be refused. He will storm Ripley, looking for you."

"I told him I was leaving for a distant abbey. He will not leave the shire to hunt me down. The sheriff wouldn't allow it."

"He cannot know you are with us."

"He doesn't, at least not yet. But he will know one day. I am with you, Little John. I can't hide forever. I don't even want to, anymore."

"If Gisbourne knows, Robin and you will die."

Marian shook her head. "No. Gisbourne hasn't caught Robin yet, though the sheriff wants nothing so much. What makes you think he'll find him now, just because of me?"

Little John stared long and hard at her. "Find him, he will," he told her. "Tell Robin, now. He will know what to do."

Marian continued staring into John's penetrating eyes, frustrated and angry at what she considered irrational fear.

At that moment, Robin joined them, cheerfully holding not only his bow, but Marian's as well.

"Sorry for the interruption," he grinned, addressing Little John, "but I'd like to steal the young lady from you for an hour or two." Turning to Marian, he asked, "Care to accompany me on another walk through the forest?"

"That depends," she answered, her eyes lighting up at his presence. "Is it going to be anything like the stroll we took last evening?"

"That depends on whether you want it to be," he said with a wink. "Come on," he advised eagerly, "let's sneak away before Much notices we're gone."

Marian took her bow and ran to grab her cloak. Little John grunted after her, to remind her to tell Robin about her latest conversation with Guy of Gisbourne. "I'll think about it," she thought, not wishing to spoil the day by telling Robin how Gisbourne had tried to threaten and bully her again into marrying him.

...

Marian was enjoying Robin's company too much to even think of bringing Gisbourne into their conversation. Still, John's words weighed on her heart, more than she realized.

She'd do anything to keep Robin safe. Anything short of marrying Gisbourne, or returning to him. John surely didn't expect her to do that, did he? Robin would not want that, she was certain. No, John had only advised her to tell Robin. Well, she wasn't ready to do that, not yet. Besides, she still worried over the likelihood of King Richard sending for Robin to rejoin him in the Holy Land. She prayed Carter had reached the King, and had told him of the Black Knights.

Unaware of her concerns, Robin wanted them to shoot something more tasty than squirrel for supper, to lift everybody's spirits in camp today. Or maybe it was only his own spirits that needed brightening.

He had let himself down by not asking her to marry him last evening. And now, he wondered whether he should ask her after all. He had nothing to offer but the rough, dangerous outlaw life she already shared with him. If she accepted him, God willing, there would be children, and how would they handle that? He didn't want Marian to endure pregnancy or childbirth in the forest, and as for the children themselves...how could you keep children quiet when it was necessary not to make a sound?

No, he decided it would be wiser to go on as they were. The thought saddened him, but he put it out of his mind. It was the only course they could take, for now.

Without meaning to, he led them close to Locksley. That's right, it was the afternoon of Gisbourne's party. He was proud to have thinned the guest list, but knew there were several traitorous nobles who had skirted around his forest and were in attendance. He felt tempted to burst in among them and give Gisbourne "the pleasure of his company," but Marian's presence stopped him.

All of a sudden, he heard shouting, and Allan's voice closeby, saying, "Look, you've got the most distinctive tracks in the forest! You might as well give up now," followed by another man's voice shouting, "This way!"

"Come on!" Robin whispered to Marian, and together, they ran toward the sound of Allan's voice. Hiding behind a tree, they watched a man's body come crashing to the ground from the top of another tree.

Allan, accompanied by two of Gisbourne's guards, stood over the writhing man, leaning on his sword. "Give us the message from the king," he said, and Marian heard Robin sharply take in a breath, and saw him reach for an arrow.

She drew her own breath in just as sharply when the injured man replied, "It's for Robin of Locksley and his eyes only."

"Just give it to me or we'll take it from you," Allan said, and Marian watched Allan imitate a gesture of Gisbourne's, inviting a guard to-

Before she could even guess, Robin stepped into sight and fired his arrow, straight through the guard's back.

"Don't you know it's rude to read other people's mail?" he asked.

...

Robin's mind was racing while Marian laid the final stones over Lawrence McClelland's grave. He didn't even know how he had dug the grave, his mind was so full of thoughts. Richard, asking him to recruit men, and rejoin him in the Holy Land! The king had no idea what was happening in England!

As if through a fog, he heard Marian's clear voice saying, "And this is no time for you to go back to the Holy Land."

Her tone lacked warmth, almost as if she were holding her breath, trying not to feel.

But he was glad to hear her say that. He knew it was wrong to go, yet he felt conflicted, knowing he was meant to be loyal and obediant to the king, above everything else.

"Then we're agreed, then," he said, and something struck his heart at her response of, "Absolutely."

In an instant, he felt himself back in Knighton Hall seven years prior, arguing with her about him leaving for the Holy Land. He could tell she didn't want him to go, though she wouldn't say it outright. He begged her to marry him then, before he left, and she refused him. They disagreed about him leaving; they disagreed about when they ought to marry. There were angry words, and tears, and stubbornness, and frustration. He made the wrong choice that day, as he strode from her door, out into the raging wind, and he'd regretted it every day since.

"Would you like to say a few words?" Marian was asking now.

He nodded his head. He knew what he wanted to say, what he needed to say. He knew now was his chance to make things right to her, to make up for hurting her, and losing her. He had no idea what her answer would be, but he needed to undo what he had done.

"Go on then," Marian invited, her voice warm and gentle again.

He took a deep breath and opened his heart to her.

~FIN~