Bow and Arrow - Chapters 2 and 3
Title: Bow and Arrow
Author: Hoodie622
Rating: PG-13 for Prelude and chapters 1, 2, 3; Hard R in chapter 4
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Just playing. No profit.
Chapter 2:
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Chapter 2 - Stance
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It was a tough position, being the widowed father of an only daughter. Edward of Knighton knew it well. For five years he had raised her without his beloved Kate to lead the way. In the years when Marian most needed a mother to show her how to be one, she instead had a father, unsure of how to handle an often-willful child.
Marian was his world, and he knew that a good marriage was key to ensuring her survival. Four years earlier, he had arranged an excellent match with Robin of Locksley that would provide wealth, security, and position befitting the Sheriff’s daughter. To the pleasure of both families their children had grown close without coaxing or prodding, and for the past two years, Robin had frequented the castle to call upon his daughter. More importantly, he knew that Marian was quite taken with the young Lord. But as he examined the Locksley ledger, he worried that his confidence in the match had been misplaced.
“Argh,” Marian heard her father give an exasperated sigh as he looked up from the ledger he was checking.
“What is it father?”
“Nothing,” he said, “it is business.”
“I like business,” Marian offered, demurely stepping toward him, trying as best she could to charm him.
Edward looked up and smiled at his daughter. “Your mother was right,” he said, “you should have been a boy.”
Marian approached his desk. “Well, I am not,” she said proudly, “but I still like business.” She flashed him her best smile. “What is the problem?” she asked, as she glanced down and saw the Locksley seal on the books he was examining.
“Robin’s books,” Edward replied, “they are wrong again. The tax money has not been accounted properly and springtime planting is behind. He inherited the Locksley estate three months ago and the ledger has yet to be correct.”
“He is going through a lot, right now,” she defended him without really knowing the reason. She knew Robin needed to grow up. The fact was not simply that Robin was dealing with the death of his father and the sudden burden of the estate. He had never truly paid attention when his father tried to teach him. He snuck off with Much to play pranks when he was supposed to be making rounds with the overseers, or he was writing bad poetry and sneaking into the castle to deliver it to her. But she knew that somewhere, deep inside him, Robin had the power to be an excellent Lord. She had seen it. She had seen him in the village, talking to the people. He respected them, especially the tradesmen - the carpenter, the baker, the smithy - for the contributions they made for the village. His kindness and conversational tone had earned their respect, as well as the respect of the other villagers. He had always demonstrated compassion and mercy for those to whom life had dealt an unfortunate blow, and during the past winter, he continued his father’s tradition of ensuring no family in Locksley went hungry or cold.
“I know he is,” Edward said, “but it is no excuse, Marian. If he wishes to maintain the respect of the Council he must maintain his estates to his father’s high standards. More importantly, if he intends to ma….”
He stopped midsentence, but Marian knew what was coming. She finished the sentence in her head, ‘marry my daughter.’ She challenged her father to finish his statement, “go on.”
“Marian, you are nearly sixteen and I have received many requests from interested Lords. I have always turned them away because of my arrangement with Sir Robert. But your future is at stake and I cannot allow a marriage in which you will be insecure.”
“Requests?” she questioned him.
“Offers,” he replied.
Marian was astute, and she was certainly not blind to the fact that many men wished to court her, but she acted naively in order to coax information from her father. “Offers of what?” she asked with impatience in her voice.
“Of marriage.”
“From whom?!”
“Simon of York.”
Disgusting! “Surely you would not see me married to that disgusting pig!”
“John of Scarborough”
Old! “He is twice my age!”
“William of Derby”
Boring! “And curse me to a life of boredom!” The thought of marriage to any of those men was repulsive. She had only met John of Scarborough twice in her life! “I will not marry any of them,” she flatly stated.
“Marian, please do not be so stubborn,” Edward earnestly begged. “You are my only daughter and I must know that you will be provided for when I am gone. A man must provide for his daughter!”
She huffed. ‘And a woman must allow herself to be provided for!’ “Why does what I want not count?!”
She clenched her teeth as she stood before her father’s desk, contemplating her options. It was true that Robin was struggling to efficiently run the Locksley lands. His visits to the castle had all but ceased and she had not seen him since the Council of Nobles meeting a fortnight earlier. She had seen the weight on his shoulders and the burden in his eyes as he walked the halls of the castle, absent his usual air of whim and fancy. He had not even attempted to steal a kiss from her, which she remembered, had disappointed her greatly.
She had met with Much three days earlier, when Robin had sent him to drop the ledgers for her father. “How is Robin?” she asked, and knew immediately from Much’s face that all was not well at Locksley Manor.
“He refuses any assistance from Thornton or anyone else,” Much had reported with great concern. “He is just so….so…”
“Stubborn?” She was angry at Robin even in his absence. An idea occurred to her. ‘I can be stubborn as well.’ “Give them to me,” she practically ordered her father as she put her hands out.
“The accounts?”
“Yes, the accounts!”
Her father looked at her with a warning in his eyes. He knew she was up to something. Her stubbornness reminded him so much of Kate and, like her mother, Marian was most stubborn when she had devised a plan to help someone in need. He admired her for her resolve, intelligence, and willingness to face challenges with passion, and his admiration made her request difficult to resist.
“Well…” she stared at her father. “If I am to be his wife then it is partially my responsibility as well,” she reasoned. “Give them to me, I will fix them.”
“Robin will not be happy,” Edward warned.
“I can handle him,” Marian gave a sideways grin as she again put her hands out for the ledgers.
Edward laughed, not sure that he dared to curse any man with a wife as stubborn as his daughter. “All right,” Edward said with warning in his voice as he acquiesced to his daughter’s request.
“Good,” she said confidently. “I will complete the work and then take the books to Locksley. I will return before supper.” She turned to walk away with a skip in her step. The ledgers had provided a legitimate excuse for a visit and she felt excitement rise within her at the thought of seeing Robin. She had missed him more than she liked to admit.
“Marian…”
Her father did not need to say more. She knew that he did not like her visiting Locksley alone. She was the Sheriff’s daughter and any hint of impropriety would be scandalous in the villages.
“You need not worry, father. Robin may not be exactly what you had in mind, but he is a proper gentleman.” She walked back toward him and kissed him on the cheek, “and I am a proper lady.” She flashed him her irresistible smile, then turned and went.
Edward was left, staring at the empty doorway where she had disappeared. He prayed that the situation would soon improve and that she and Robin could be married in the fall. He knew it was what she wanted and he did not wish to deny her the same love he had known for her mother.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Marian urged her horse to quicken its stride as she rode across the fields toward Locksley. What would she say? What words could she use that would portray the severity of this situation without his turning her away? Realizing that there were none, she prepared herself to use any means necessary to calm him. He needed to accept that it was okay to need help. More importantly, he needed to know that it was okay for that help to come from her, that she wanted to help…that she wanted to be his wife.
The fact was, she loved him, and she did not want to marry any of the other bores who had called upon her father - men who would force her to sit in embroidery circles and visit with the ladies at court. She had been planning to be Robin’s wife several years now and it was what she wanted. In her own mind, she was certain that it was what Robin wanted as well, though he’d not said as much. Robin had always allowed her to be herself, and in this case ‘being herself’ meant insisting that he accept her help.
As she approached the house, Thornton greeted her. “Lady Marian.”
“Thornton,” she acknowledged him as she gracefully lowered herself from the saddle and passed the reigns to the stable boy. “Where is Lord Locksley?”
“Practicing archery,” a dejected voice came from behind her, as she turned to see Much approaching from over the hill.
“And he does not have you fetching arrows?” Marian smiled and laughed.
“He sent me away,” Much said, looking forlorn and kicking the ground as he walked. “He said he wanted to be alone.”
“Really?” Marian said with a devilish charm in her voice, setting her promise to her father out of her mind.
“Yes. He is angry. The fields have not been planted in time, and he knows it. I used all my power to calm him, but he threatened me with his bow and ordered me to go away.” Much’s expressions revealed his hurt and frustration with his master.
“Well, perhaps I will have better luck,” Marian said. She started over the hill in Robin’s direction, trying not to show her excitement at having an opportunity to be alone with him. She heard footsteps behind her. “What are you doing?”
“Chaperoning,” he said confidently.
“No, Much.”
“My Lady, it is not proper for you to be alone with Lord Locksley and you know it! You father will be very angry!”
“My father need not know,” she stared at him, daring him to break her secret.
“No, M’lady, I cannot allow it.”
“Much,” she laid a hand on his shoulder, “I know that you are trying to do right by me, and Robin, but he will not speak openly with me when you are present. I need to talk to him…alone.” She turned her attention back to the house for a moment. “Thornton, the ledgers from my father are in the horse’s bag. Do be sure they are returned to the house.”
The servants stared at her as she gracefully made her way up the path and over the hill.
Much leaned toward Thornton and said under his breath, “The sooner this marriage takes place, the better. We need her here.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
As Marian climbed up the hill, she could hear the ‘thonk’ of arrows hitting the target at the edge of the woods. She darted behind the tree in the middle of the field and watched him intently. He was methodical, his motions deft and smooth. For most archers, retrieving an arrow from the quiver and setting it to the string were two separate and distinct actions, but not for Robin. With one fluid motion, his right arm reached back to the quiver and with the same swift motion the arrow was instantly set on the string and the bow raised to eye level. He had become such an excellent archer that he had ceased competing at the harvest festival the previous year, because no one would enter against him.
Why could he not take the same care and concern for running the estate, she wondered.
Then she witnessed the most amazing feat of archery she had ever seen. He took two arrows from his quiver and placed them both on a horizontally balanced bow. He took a deep breath, staring intently at the target, and released the string, remaining still for a long while after both arrows had hit their mark. Was it possible that she loved him more because he could do that? Surely not! She felt herself flush as she found thoughts in her mind that should not have been there, and she must have gasped because he turned to look at her.
“What are you doing here?” he questioned her. He tried to ask the question nonchalantly but his eyes betrayed that he was happy to see her.
“I brought back the ledgers from my father,” she replied. She tried to make her voice sound innocent as she came out from behind the tree and leaned against it.
“And,” he said, as he swaggered toward her, sure that she had been impressed with his shot.
“And I gave them to Thornton,” she said, and her body began to tense as she felt him closing the gap between them. ‘Concentrate’ she scolded herself, ‘you must make him understand.’
“And,” he came still closer.
“Much said you were angry, so I came to see if I can help.” She need only give a sign of discomfort and she knew he would back off, but something inside her kept her from giving it.
“Much needs to keep his mouth shut,” Robin said, ‘but you definitely help.’
Robin was agitated that his servant had betrayed his emotions, but his eyes sparkled in a way that Marian liked to believe was reserved only for her. She held her breath as he came as close as he dared without her permission. She was backed against the tree and he was standing in front of her resting both hands and his chin on the top of his longbow. She wanted to be his wife…now…then they could cut through this pretense.
“Robin,” she said quietly.
“Yes,” he answered, absentmindedly. He would not make eye contact with her. Instead he allowed his eyes to wander around her face, examining her curls as they fell across her shoulders and graced her collarbones, studying her features as if to memorize them. She was old enough now, he thought, that he should approach Sir Edward about a summer wedding.
He could feel his anger dissipating as his eyes took her in. He had been in the presence of many beautiful women, most older than Marian, and many more willing, but as Marian had grown, she had somehow gained the power to drain his brain of thought. He dared not touch her, for he knew that if he did, he might very well lose the composure that concealed the frustrations and anger within him. She was…divine. Suddenly, he jolted as he had allowed his eyes to wander too low, and he stepped back, temporarily breaking the tension between them.
“Why are you angry?” she asked him.
“It is nothing,” he said with a wave of dismissal, “estate business. Nothing with which you need concern yourself.” He did not like these questions. He much preferred the way it had been a moment ago, when he forgot his troubles by losing himself in her.
Marian was not about to let him avoid the issue, but she decided to let his dismissal pass for the moment. “How have you been?” she asked. “It has been more than a fortnight since you last visited me.”
“I know,” he said. “We have been busy with planting and I have not been able to get away. I had to send Much to deliver the ledgers to your father.”
She leaned toward him slightly, reigniting the spark that had dissipated a few moments earlier. “I was beginning to think you were losing interest,” she said coyly as she peered at him through her eyelashes. She smiled as he looked down at the ground and shuffled his feet. His face was flush with embarrassment and he had a sideways smirk on his face. He was trying so hard to be a man, and yet in some ways he had not yet been able to leave adolescence behind.
“No, I have not lost interest,” he said smoothly, and moved so close she could feel his breath on her cheeks as he spoke. “And you are always in my thoughts.”
‘Such drivel! she thought. If she was going to give anything up today, it would be because he had allowed her to help, because he had opened himself, not because of some line of drivel! Deciding that this moment was as good as any other, she clenched her fists and spoke as he moved in to kiss her. “The ledgers, Robin…they were wrong.”
“What!” He growled as he backed away and narrowed his eyes at her, “and how do you know that?!”
“Do not worry,” she said, “I fixed them.” She smiled her most graceful smile, but it did no good.
“You WHAT?!” How could she! His face was scarlet red and his eyes flamed and she did not think it impossible that the devil had momentarily possessed him. This was not the reaction she was hoping for.
Robin was so angry that he could not even begin to form a sentence. He could feel his insides beginning to boil as he turned to the target and readied his bow once again. He focused all of his anger on the target and placed the arrow dead center. Then, much to Marian’s surprise he took a second arrow, aimed carefully and split his first arrow in half with the second! Finally in what seemed like one extended, swift motion, he emptied his entire quiver of arrows, placing them one after another in a neat ring around the first two!
She gazed at him in shock. There was so much anger flying with each arrow that Marian almost took pity on the target.
“Robin,” she quietly tried to approach him now that his quiver was empty and he had lowered his weapon.
He raised his hand and turned his head away from her. He was not yet ready to speak to her, nor to listen. What on God’s good Earth had given her the notion to examine Locksley’s ledgers, let alone put her own hand to them?! He stormed across to the target and began violently pulling out the arrows.
“Ow,” he yelped as one of the arrowheads grazed his finger. He sucked on the wound and shook his hand to rid it of the stinging. He could feel her approaching.
“Go away Marian,” he growled as he extended his arms and leaned on the target, lowering his head to his chest and refusing to look at her.
“No,” she flatly refused.
Robin felt her gently place a hand on his back, which made him momentarily catch his breath. “Marian!” He wiggled in discomfort and she withdrew her hand. He growled under his breath, “you had no right.”
“Pardon?”
“You had no right!” he yelled as he turned toward her, his eyes burning with a fury she had never seen in him. She had known when she reworked the ledger that he would be angry, but she had not expected this.
Marian took a deep breath, trying to find the words to reason with him. “That may be true,” she said, “but it needed doing and I want to help you.”
“I do not want your help!” he lashed out in angry frustration. He did not dare curse at her, though he surely felt like it.
“You may not want it,” she countered, stepping toward him and increasing his discomfort, “but you need it.”
“I do not need help!” He gritted the statement through his teeth as he left her standing alone and returned to the spot from which he had shot his previous round of arrows. He took three paces back. “Move,” he ordered her. But Marian did not move, instead she crossed her arms and leaned back to cover the target.
“Marian, move!” he readied his bow but aimed it at the ground, not daring to aim it at her.
“Not until you talk to me,” she answered calmly, but with a stubborn sternness in her voice.
What was she doing?! She was behaving…like a wife! How was it possible that a woman could be so stubborn? More importantly, how was it possible that in that very moment he felt himself giving in to her. He looked up and saw her slowly approaching him. He gripped the bow so tightly that his knuckles began to lose their color and he felt his pulse quicken and his mind begin to spin as she approached, her hips gently rocking as she walked. And then…her touch. He could not resist, and he immediately acquiesced as she peeled his fingers from the bow one by one and removed the weapon from his hands. He felt naked…defenseless…exposed…as if the bow in his hands was his last line of defense from allowing her in.
“I know you think you are strong not asking for help,” she counseled, “but it takes more strength to ask, Robin.” She was holding both of his hands in hers. She had fixed her eyes upon his and was not looking away. Her gaze made him uncomfortable, but more than her gaze, it was the knowledge that she was right. She saw right through him.
He was reeling from the closeness of her.
The next thing he knew, his eyes were closed and he could feel the softness of her lips on his. Had she started the kiss or had he? It did not matter either way once he felt Marian wind her hands behind his neck, deepening the kiss. He placed his hands around her waist, still trying to keep some distance between their bodies in order that he might keep his sanity, but as he felt her begin to run her fingers through his hair he wrapped his arms around her, pressing their bodies together and allowing his hands to move up and down her back.
Marian was not sure what to do. She had allowed herself to step beyond the boundaries of propriety in order to show him that if he would let her, she would carry some of his burden. But if she let it go much further, she would be pushing the limits of sin. Despite this knowledge, she continued to deepen the kiss. He tasted…divine…and her body shivered as she felt his tongue graze hers. She knew she must stop, but she could not make herself do it.
Finally, both needing air and both knowing that they needed to stop before the situation got out of hand, they separated their lips and stood, still embracing, breathing heavily, with their foreheads pressed together.
“Still angry?” she whispered to him.
Unbelievable. Robin could not find the words to answer her question, but he could not keep himself from smiling. He needed to not be touching her if he wished to gain back an ounce of his sanity. Reluctantly, he pulled away and walked over and plopped himself down under the tree.
Marian took a moment to compose herself as she too was reeling. She looked at Robin sitting under the tree. His body language had changed. He no longer exuded anger as he had moments ago, but instead displayed the doleful spirit with which he had roamed the halls of the castle weeks before. She quietly approached him, paying careful attention to every movement of her body and every word from her mouth so that he would not shut her out. “Will you be angry if I sit?”
“No,” he sighed. He wanted her to sit.
She sat opposite him in the grass with her legs crossed, looking at him intently as he leaned his head back against the tree. “Robin, you need help,” she said with tenderness in her voice.
“I do not need help,” he repeated his earlier mantra, though the tone of his voice betrayed that he was losing his will to fend her off.
“Yes, you do,” Marian replied, “and it should come from me.”
“You?” he scoffed.
“Yes, me.” She paused to think of the right words. “Robin, if I am to be your wife then Locksley is my concern too.”
There was silence. While it was understood by both that they would be married, neither had spoken it out loud before.
“Do you really want to be my wife?” He felt the corners of his mouth tense toward a smile at the notion.
“Yes.”
“Even though…” he trailed off.
She urged him on by taking his hand. The sensation of her touch once again stripped him of all defenses. They had been friends for as long as he could remember, and their fathers had arranged their betrothal four years earlier, but how was it possible that she knew exactly how to expose his vulnerable insides? Who was this girl in front of him? When had she become this wonderful…woman? How had he missed it…the change? When did it happen? Surely he could not ask for a better wife or mother for his children. “Even though I am rubbish with numbers?”
She could see his mood was changing and could not help but giggle. “Robin. Let me help you. I have always been better at numbers than you.”
“But what will people think, Marian? The Lord of Locksley who needs a woman to balance his accounts!”
“No one need know, Robin. Calculate the accounts yourself each month. Just let me check them. I will not write in the ledger again, I promise.” She gathered his other hand and implored him, “Please. This will only become a more difficult task once the lands of Locksley and Knighton are joined.” She paused to let him consider her request. Then she dared to close the gap between them once again as she reached out with one hand and ran her fingers through the hair above and behind his ear.
Finally, Robin extended his arms, inviting her to lean against him. As he sat, overlooking his village, with his future bride in his arms, he wished for the first time in his life that he was a different man…a more thoughtful man…a better man. He did not feel like a lord, but rather simply a man who was good with a bow. The thought even occurred to him that he loved her, this woman that he found suddenly before him. She fed his desire to be better than he was. But even that love could not completely ease the burden he felt for running the estate. He cursed himself for not paying more attention to his father. He cursed his father for leaving him so abruptly and his mother for not providing siblings to help him. He doubted his abilities to run Locksley properly and he knew that if the ledger had been incorrect, despite Marian’s good intentions, Edward must be doubting him as well. In fact, the entire Council was probably talking about him at this point. Somehow, he needed to make choices that would prove him a man worthy of his father’s lands and title.
Before the harvest Robin would make those choices, and although Marian’s protests had won him on this day, they would not on that day. He would choose his King over his people. He would choose glory over her. He would choose consequences only God might have foreseen, for in leaving he was choosing to become Robin Hood.
Chapter 3:
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Chapter 3 - Tension
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Robin raised his bow and took aim as he had a thousand times before. His right hand came to his face as he pulled his elbow straight behind him and found his sight line. He took a breath and exhaled and just at the moment his body became perfectly still, he released the arrow. His target was hit squarely in the chest. She never stood a chance, really.
Will walked to the struggling animal and finished her with his axe. “We will be eating like Lords tonight!”
“Come now,” answered Robin, “you do not like Much’s rabbit stew?” He handed his bow and quiver to Will as he squatted down to remove the arrow from the animal. “Marian will like it too. She would never admit it, but I know that she misses the comforts she has known all her life.”
“You are different, you know,” said Will, “with her here.”
Robin could not stop himself from grinning. He ran his fingers over the feathers of the arrow and his eyes closed as he pictured her. He could see her before him - her fair skin, her soft lips, her supple breasts, her eyes that reminded him of the ocean off the coast of Crete. He took a deep breath and more images came - the way she bit her bottom lip when she was trying not to laugh, the way she rolled her eyes when she looked at him in anger, the way she held a sword and gallantly fought like no man he’d ever known. The images crashed into his brain and he let them play. The very thought of her made his body tingle.
“Hmm,” Will cleared his throat as if he was afraid to disturb what he knew must be pleasant thoughts.
Robin gave his head a slight shake as he opened his eyes. As he stood, he felt his face begin to blush, embarrassed that he had allowed himself the distraction. He lifted the doe onto his shoulders and they began the trek back to camp.
“It’s amazing isn’t it?” said Will as they began to walk.
“What?” Robin asked.
“What a woman can do to you,” Will replied.
Robin laughed. “You mean make you so angry that you want to punch everything in sight or make you feel so amazing that you’d swear you can fly?” he asked.
“I mean when she is in your thoughts all of the time and no matter how hard you try, you cannot banish her.”
Robin turned slightly as he walked. “Djaq?” he asked with raised eyebrows and a sideways glance. He understood Will’s face, which was as ruby as his family name, to mean yes.
Will gave a sigh of frustration and embarrassment. “How did you know, Robin?”
Robin looked at his friend. They were outlaws together, soldiers for the sick and hungry, protectors of the King’s throne. Will had chosen to take up arms against the Sheriff rather than retreat to Scarborough with his family. But in that moment, Robin realized he just how young Will was. “Know what?”
“Know that you were…” He could not finish and looked away sheepishly. He could not force the words ‘in love’ to come out of his mouth.
“Know that I was in love?” Robin finished the question for him. He carefully considered his answer, knowing it would force him to remember his past mistakes. “I spent five years in the Holy Land, Will, and when I dreamed of home, my strongest memories were of her.”
“Yes, but when did you know?” Will asked impatiently. “Did you not know before you left?”
Robin smiled defensively. “Am I on trial here?” Will looked at him, as if he was begging him to answer, and Robin knew that Will was not prying, but rather seeking guidance. Still, Robin was unsure of how much he was willing to share. He shook his head, chagrined and answered, “I should have known…but I didn’t. Oh, believe me I wanted her, and our families had made arrangements. But I did not respect her, nor had I earned her respect.”
“Yes but when did you know?” Will asked in a frustrated voice, unsatisfied with the answer.
Robin paused his step momentarily and looked squarely at his friend, “When I realised she made me want to be a better man.” The two men smiled at one another, nodded in the way men do when they come to an understanding, and resumed their mission to bring supper back to the camp.
“So…” Robin began the conversation again, “what is it about her?” He grinned as he suspected Will did not see the sunlight filtering through the trees but a lovely face, waiting for him at camp.
Will sighed the sigh of a young man in love as he gazed up the path to where he knew she was. “What isn’t it about her?” It was not really a question, and both laughed at the truth in the statement. “She was already beautiful as a boy, but now…now she gets lovelier by the day. And she’s so smart, Robin. She’s so smart,” he sighed. “Much smarter than me.”
“Pfff,” Robin laughed. “Not to worry, my friend. Marian used to help me with Latin…and French…and numbers…and she was ten!”
“And you know,” Will stopped walking momentarily, “I swear sometimes Djaq can see right through me.”
They resumed their steps in silence, lost in thoughts of the women who had such power over their hearts and minds. Neither was very aware of how long the silence was, and there were few sounds that could have broken their pleasant daydreams, but the smiles were suddenly wiped from their faces and they looked at one another with suspicion as they heard the ‘thock’ of arrows striking wood. Robin carefully lowered the deer to the ground as Will handed over the bow and quiver and removed the hatchet from his belt. They slowly crept on their stomachs over the next rise in the trail.
Robin froze as the source of the sound came into view. On the next hill was Marian, with her longbow, taking target practice. Oh, my Lord! He did not realize his mouth was open until he felt the saliva begin to drip down his chin. His mind spun as he watched her ready her arrow on the string. But the sensation quickly traveled south as she raised her bow to eye level, grazing her breasts with her right hand in the process. Robin closed his eyes and bit his bottom lip, lowering his face to the ground. ‘My God, this is like torturing a man!’ He finally looked to his left to give Will the ‘you need to go away now’ look, but he saw only his bow and quiver on the ground.
Robin turned, “Will…”
Will already had the doe on his shoulders and had resumed an alternate route to camp so as to not alert Marian to their presence. He spun to flash a playful and slightly jealous smile at his friend, walking backward up the trail in the process. “I’ll tell Much not to expect you for supper.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Marian had not yet lived in the forest long enough to have developed an outlaw’s ears, and she did not hear her love as he stealthily slipped from tree to tree staying always out of sight. Having found cover behind a large oak, Robin peered around in amusement as he watched her attempt to load two arrows onto the string. He stifled his laughter as she fumbled and one of the arrows tumbled to the ground right in front of her. Undaunted, she tried again, still unsure of how to support both arrows and steady the bow at the same time. He could no longer resist making his presence known.
“If you want to try that trick, you need a better bow.”
His voice startled her and caused her to lose concentration and drop both arrows again to the ground. “Robin! How long have you been there?!”
“Long enough.”
“Long enough to what?”
“Long enough to know that you should try this bow,” he said, handing her his Saracen weapon.
She looked at him strangely. She had never seen him allow anyone to use his bow before. A small part of her felt honored, though surely if he was going to trust anyone with the weapon it would be her. “Thank you,” she smiled. She placed an arrow on the string and raised the bow. It was very powerful, and she could see why he liked it so. The tension on the string was smooth and easy, and the release quick and exact.
Robin was enchanted as Marian raised the bow for a second shot. She was always beautiful. He swore even in the mornings when she awoke from sleeping in her cold forest bed she was as lovely as when she had retired the evening before; but there was something about her when she had a weapon in her hand that was especially…alluring. He could not help but notice how the curves in the bow reflected her womanly shape.
“Whoa,” she said.
‘I’ll say whoa,’ he replied in his own mind as his jaw was gaping open again.
“Robin?” She waited for a response. “Robin!”
“What?”
“You were staring at me!”
Robin’s immediate reaction was to be defensive. She had caught him staring at her so many times in their lives and he always had an excuse on hand. This time however it was not a secret meeting in the village or a clandestine exchange in the wood. There would be no separation now. She had made the decision to be with him rather than somewhere else and that thought made him swell with pride. He gave a genuine though creative answer. “My two favourite things are in one place. How could I not stare?”
’Oh, dear God!’ How was it possible for words to melt her? She gave him a disapproving sideways glance and attempted to focus her attentions on her archery practice. She took two arrows and tried to align them on the string. As she struggled to support both arrows with her fingers she could hear Robin sniggering. She let out a huff of frustration, “Am I really that entertaining?”
“Yes!” he laughed with a cheeky grin on his face that said ‘you are beautiful when you are angry.’ “Here,” he offered as he stood behind her and helped her with bow placement. “Turn the bow to the side.”
She inhaled sharply as she felt his chest press against her back. She felt his arms as they supported hers. Why did she resist him so? Despite her father’s death and the awful arguments they had had upon her arrival, she was finding that she enjoyed the freedom of the forest and was genuinely feeling her love for him strengthen each day as she came to know him better. Now she understood everything he’d given up by retreating to Sherwood, the comforts he’d sacrificed, the burden he’d accepted. She so admired his strength and resolve. But at the moment, it was his physical strength that garnered her attention as she felt their bodies entwined and he placed her fingers in the proper position to support both arrows on the string.
“Now,” he said, “you’re going to put one arrow in that tree, and another in the one beside it. Do you have them both in your sight line?”
She did not answer. The sound of his soft voice as it traveled on his breath through her hair and into her ear was absolutely tantalizing.
“Marian?”
She swallowed as she tried to find her voice
Robin took his free right hand and tickled her side.
“Huh….sorry,” Marian murmured as she took a deep breath and attempted to refocus her attention.
“Now who’s distracted?” Robin asked, certain…well hoping…that her thoughts had wandered as his had earlier. They realigned their bodies and prepared to fire. “Alright…now….pull back the string supporting both arrows…good…deep breath….and…”
Release. Both arrows hit their targets squarely in the center of the trunk. Marian could not help the grin that came across her face. She spun around and found herself cradled in Robin’s arms, inches from his face. ‘Oh, this feeling!’ Why should she deny herself any longer? He loved her. He’d finally said it, and repeated it. She knew he meant it. He’d been so considerate since they had called their truce, not pushing her or condemning her but rather carefully considering her opinions and perspective, and she was working hard to think within the group rather than independently. She could feel them becoming true partners and yet she still had not allowed herself to be his partner in this way. They were so close now, breathing the same air, staring in each other’s eyes, both waiting for a signal from the other as to how to proceed. She dropped the bow to the forest floor.
That was the only signal he needed. Robin closed his arms around her and pulled her into a deep and luscious kiss. He ran his hands up and down her back and she allowed him to explore the curves that he adored so greatly. He felt his sanity disappearing. She was here. She was finally here and he had wanted her for so long, but had not wanted to push her since her arrival in the forest. His mind was spinning and it took every ounce of his strength not to devour her. This was moving entirely too quickly. He pulled back and allowed them both to breathe. He removed his hands from her back and instead grasped her head in his hands, her hair falling gently between his fingers, and he began kissing her face - her forehead, her cheek, her nose - before returning to gently graze her lips.
‘What is he doing?!’ she thought. ‘He is driving me mad!’ She felt pangs of physical need arise from deep within her. She had felt them before but always denied them. By reflex she pulled away slightly but he followed, kissing her deeply once again. Their kissing became a dance across the forest floor. The tempo would fall and rise as she pulled away to breathe and he followed. Finally she could no longer pull away when she found her back pressed against the giant oak behind which he had been hiding.
Robin paused and rested his forehead against hers, realising that she had backed herself against the tree and not wanting to move any further without her permission. Her eyes sparkled with passion. They again stared at one another as they had at the beginning, breathing the same air. ‘This needs to stop now,’ Robin felt his rational mind interfering. But the thought quickly subsided when Marian placed her hands in the curls at the back of his neck and pulled him closer. He felt her gasp as he pressed his body against hers.
Marian could not believe the sensations that overcame her. ‘His hands must be magic,’ she thought as he gently caressed her thighs…her waist…her breasts. He ran his hands down her arms, grasping them at the wrists and raising them above her head. She bit her lower lip as he held her wrists with one hand and gently caressed her neck with soft kisses. With the other hand he reached around her back and began to untie the string on her corset. At that moment, she felt every muscle in her body tense and she was immediately angry with herself. She did not want to stop but somehow her inhibitions had reappeared from deep within her.
Robin felt her tense and immediately backed away with a look of horror upon his face. “I’m sorry,” he said with giant eyes.
Oh, what have I done?!’ she thought. ‘Denying myself, denying him!’ “You have nothing to be sorry for,” she assured him between her still heavy breaths.
“I was not being honorable.” ‘But I have never wanted anything so badly!’
“Neither was I!” Marian giggled. She could not believe herself. She was giggling and as embarrassed as she’d been when they were children! She moved to approach him but stopped when he raised his hands and backed further away.
“No! You need to stay over there,” her ordered her as he once again moved to increase the space between them and regain some of his sanity. Did she not know badly he wanted her! No. How could she know? He should never have allowed it to move so far.
Marian found herself glad that her honor was still intact but wondered why she still cared that it was. She loved him. She always had, despite her anger with him for leaving. The situation now was so difficult and she knew Robin would not marry her until his lands and title were restored. Surely she could not wait that long.
Having regained control of his mind and body, Robin bent to the ground to retrieve the bows and quiver. “As I recall, a bow and arrow was involved the last time we…” ‘came so close,’ he finished the sentence in his head.
“You remember?”
He laughed and looked her adoringly. How could she possibly think he would forget that day? It was the day he had fallen in love with her. “In seven years I have not forgotten,” he said as he rested his palm on her cheek with a wink and a smile.
“I love you, Robin of Locksley.”
“Come, my Love,” he urged her forward and threw his arm around her shoulder, “We have venison for supper.”
Author: Hoodie622
Rating: PG-13 for Prelude and chapters 1, 2, 3; Hard R in chapter 4
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Just playing. No profit.
Chapter 2:
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Chapter 2 - Stance
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It was a tough position, being the widowed father of an only daughter. Edward of Knighton knew it well. For five years he had raised her without his beloved Kate to lead the way. In the years when Marian most needed a mother to show her how to be one, she instead had a father, unsure of how to handle an often-willful child.
Marian was his world, and he knew that a good marriage was key to ensuring her survival. Four years earlier, he had arranged an excellent match with Robin of Locksley that would provide wealth, security, and position befitting the Sheriff’s daughter. To the pleasure of both families their children had grown close without coaxing or prodding, and for the past two years, Robin had frequented the castle to call upon his daughter. More importantly, he knew that Marian was quite taken with the young Lord. But as he examined the Locksley ledger, he worried that his confidence in the match had been misplaced.
“Argh,” Marian heard her father give an exasperated sigh as he looked up from the ledger he was checking.
“What is it father?”
“Nothing,” he said, “it is business.”
“I like business,” Marian offered, demurely stepping toward him, trying as best she could to charm him.
Edward looked up and smiled at his daughter. “Your mother was right,” he said, “you should have been a boy.”
Marian approached his desk. “Well, I am not,” she said proudly, “but I still like business.” She flashed him her best smile. “What is the problem?” she asked, as she glanced down and saw the Locksley seal on the books he was examining.
“Robin’s books,” Edward replied, “they are wrong again. The tax money has not been accounted properly and springtime planting is behind. He inherited the Locksley estate three months ago and the ledger has yet to be correct.”
“He is going through a lot, right now,” she defended him without really knowing the reason. She knew Robin needed to grow up. The fact was not simply that Robin was dealing with the death of his father and the sudden burden of the estate. He had never truly paid attention when his father tried to teach him. He snuck off with Much to play pranks when he was supposed to be making rounds with the overseers, or he was writing bad poetry and sneaking into the castle to deliver it to her. But she knew that somewhere, deep inside him, Robin had the power to be an excellent Lord. She had seen it. She had seen him in the village, talking to the people. He respected them, especially the tradesmen - the carpenter, the baker, the smithy - for the contributions they made for the village. His kindness and conversational tone had earned their respect, as well as the respect of the other villagers. He had always demonstrated compassion and mercy for those to whom life had dealt an unfortunate blow, and during the past winter, he continued his father’s tradition of ensuring no family in Locksley went hungry or cold.
“I know he is,” Edward said, “but it is no excuse, Marian. If he wishes to maintain the respect of the Council he must maintain his estates to his father’s high standards. More importantly, if he intends to ma….”
He stopped midsentence, but Marian knew what was coming. She finished the sentence in her head, ‘marry my daughter.’ She challenged her father to finish his statement, “go on.”
“Marian, you are nearly sixteen and I have received many requests from interested Lords. I have always turned them away because of my arrangement with Sir Robert. But your future is at stake and I cannot allow a marriage in which you will be insecure.”
“Requests?” she questioned him.
“Offers,” he replied.
Marian was astute, and she was certainly not blind to the fact that many men wished to court her, but she acted naively in order to coax information from her father. “Offers of what?” she asked with impatience in her voice.
“Of marriage.”
“From whom?!”
“Simon of York.”
Disgusting! “Surely you would not see me married to that disgusting pig!”
“John of Scarborough”
Old! “He is twice my age!”
“William of Derby”
Boring! “And curse me to a life of boredom!” The thought of marriage to any of those men was repulsive. She had only met John of Scarborough twice in her life! “I will not marry any of them,” she flatly stated.
“Marian, please do not be so stubborn,” Edward earnestly begged. “You are my only daughter and I must know that you will be provided for when I am gone. A man must provide for his daughter!”
She huffed. ‘And a woman must allow herself to be provided for!’ “Why does what I want not count?!”
She clenched her teeth as she stood before her father’s desk, contemplating her options. It was true that Robin was struggling to efficiently run the Locksley lands. His visits to the castle had all but ceased and she had not seen him since the Council of Nobles meeting a fortnight earlier. She had seen the weight on his shoulders and the burden in his eyes as he walked the halls of the castle, absent his usual air of whim and fancy. He had not even attempted to steal a kiss from her, which she remembered, had disappointed her greatly.
She had met with Much three days earlier, when Robin had sent him to drop the ledgers for her father. “How is Robin?” she asked, and knew immediately from Much’s face that all was not well at Locksley Manor.
“He refuses any assistance from Thornton or anyone else,” Much had reported with great concern. “He is just so….so…”
“Stubborn?” She was angry at Robin even in his absence. An idea occurred to her. ‘I can be stubborn as well.’ “Give them to me,” she practically ordered her father as she put her hands out.
“The accounts?”
“Yes, the accounts!”
Her father looked at her with a warning in his eyes. He knew she was up to something. Her stubbornness reminded him so much of Kate and, like her mother, Marian was most stubborn when she had devised a plan to help someone in need. He admired her for her resolve, intelligence, and willingness to face challenges with passion, and his admiration made her request difficult to resist.
“Well…” she stared at her father. “If I am to be his wife then it is partially my responsibility as well,” she reasoned. “Give them to me, I will fix them.”
“Robin will not be happy,” Edward warned.
“I can handle him,” Marian gave a sideways grin as she again put her hands out for the ledgers.
Edward laughed, not sure that he dared to curse any man with a wife as stubborn as his daughter. “All right,” Edward said with warning in his voice as he acquiesced to his daughter’s request.
“Good,” she said confidently. “I will complete the work and then take the books to Locksley. I will return before supper.” She turned to walk away with a skip in her step. The ledgers had provided a legitimate excuse for a visit and she felt excitement rise within her at the thought of seeing Robin. She had missed him more than she liked to admit.
“Marian…”
Her father did not need to say more. She knew that he did not like her visiting Locksley alone. She was the Sheriff’s daughter and any hint of impropriety would be scandalous in the villages.
“You need not worry, father. Robin may not be exactly what you had in mind, but he is a proper gentleman.” She walked back toward him and kissed him on the cheek, “and I am a proper lady.” She flashed him her irresistible smile, then turned and went.
Edward was left, staring at the empty doorway where she had disappeared. He prayed that the situation would soon improve and that she and Robin could be married in the fall. He knew it was what she wanted and he did not wish to deny her the same love he had known for her mother.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Marian urged her horse to quicken its stride as she rode across the fields toward Locksley. What would she say? What words could she use that would portray the severity of this situation without his turning her away? Realizing that there were none, she prepared herself to use any means necessary to calm him. He needed to accept that it was okay to need help. More importantly, he needed to know that it was okay for that help to come from her, that she wanted to help…that she wanted to be his wife.
The fact was, she loved him, and she did not want to marry any of the other bores who had called upon her father - men who would force her to sit in embroidery circles and visit with the ladies at court. She had been planning to be Robin’s wife several years now and it was what she wanted. In her own mind, she was certain that it was what Robin wanted as well, though he’d not said as much. Robin had always allowed her to be herself, and in this case ‘being herself’ meant insisting that he accept her help.
As she approached the house, Thornton greeted her. “Lady Marian.”
“Thornton,” she acknowledged him as she gracefully lowered herself from the saddle and passed the reigns to the stable boy. “Where is Lord Locksley?”
“Practicing archery,” a dejected voice came from behind her, as she turned to see Much approaching from over the hill.
“And he does not have you fetching arrows?” Marian smiled and laughed.
“He sent me away,” Much said, looking forlorn and kicking the ground as he walked. “He said he wanted to be alone.”
“Really?” Marian said with a devilish charm in her voice, setting her promise to her father out of her mind.
“Yes. He is angry. The fields have not been planted in time, and he knows it. I used all my power to calm him, but he threatened me with his bow and ordered me to go away.” Much’s expressions revealed his hurt and frustration with his master.
“Well, perhaps I will have better luck,” Marian said. She started over the hill in Robin’s direction, trying not to show her excitement at having an opportunity to be alone with him. She heard footsteps behind her. “What are you doing?”
“Chaperoning,” he said confidently.
“No, Much.”
“My Lady, it is not proper for you to be alone with Lord Locksley and you know it! You father will be very angry!”
“My father need not know,” she stared at him, daring him to break her secret.
“No, M’lady, I cannot allow it.”
“Much,” she laid a hand on his shoulder, “I know that you are trying to do right by me, and Robin, but he will not speak openly with me when you are present. I need to talk to him…alone.” She turned her attention back to the house for a moment. “Thornton, the ledgers from my father are in the horse’s bag. Do be sure they are returned to the house.”
The servants stared at her as she gracefully made her way up the path and over the hill.
Much leaned toward Thornton and said under his breath, “The sooner this marriage takes place, the better. We need her here.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
As Marian climbed up the hill, she could hear the ‘thonk’ of arrows hitting the target at the edge of the woods. She darted behind the tree in the middle of the field and watched him intently. He was methodical, his motions deft and smooth. For most archers, retrieving an arrow from the quiver and setting it to the string were two separate and distinct actions, but not for Robin. With one fluid motion, his right arm reached back to the quiver and with the same swift motion the arrow was instantly set on the string and the bow raised to eye level. He had become such an excellent archer that he had ceased competing at the harvest festival the previous year, because no one would enter against him.
Why could he not take the same care and concern for running the estate, she wondered.
Then she witnessed the most amazing feat of archery she had ever seen. He took two arrows from his quiver and placed them both on a horizontally balanced bow. He took a deep breath, staring intently at the target, and released the string, remaining still for a long while after both arrows had hit their mark. Was it possible that she loved him more because he could do that? Surely not! She felt herself flush as she found thoughts in her mind that should not have been there, and she must have gasped because he turned to look at her.
“What are you doing here?” he questioned her. He tried to ask the question nonchalantly but his eyes betrayed that he was happy to see her.
“I brought back the ledgers from my father,” she replied. She tried to make her voice sound innocent as she came out from behind the tree and leaned against it.
“And,” he said, as he swaggered toward her, sure that she had been impressed with his shot.
“And I gave them to Thornton,” she said, and her body began to tense as she felt him closing the gap between them. ‘Concentrate’ she scolded herself, ‘you must make him understand.’
“And,” he came still closer.
“Much said you were angry, so I came to see if I can help.” She need only give a sign of discomfort and she knew he would back off, but something inside her kept her from giving it.
“Much needs to keep his mouth shut,” Robin said, ‘but you definitely help.’
Robin was agitated that his servant had betrayed his emotions, but his eyes sparkled in a way that Marian liked to believe was reserved only for her. She held her breath as he came as close as he dared without her permission. She was backed against the tree and he was standing in front of her resting both hands and his chin on the top of his longbow. She wanted to be his wife…now…then they could cut through this pretense.
“Robin,” she said quietly.
“Yes,” he answered, absentmindedly. He would not make eye contact with her. Instead he allowed his eyes to wander around her face, examining her curls as they fell across her shoulders and graced her collarbones, studying her features as if to memorize them. She was old enough now, he thought, that he should approach Sir Edward about a summer wedding.
He could feel his anger dissipating as his eyes took her in. He had been in the presence of many beautiful women, most older than Marian, and many more willing, but as Marian had grown, she had somehow gained the power to drain his brain of thought. He dared not touch her, for he knew that if he did, he might very well lose the composure that concealed the frustrations and anger within him. She was…divine. Suddenly, he jolted as he had allowed his eyes to wander too low, and he stepped back, temporarily breaking the tension between them.
“Why are you angry?” she asked him.
“It is nothing,” he said with a wave of dismissal, “estate business. Nothing with which you need concern yourself.” He did not like these questions. He much preferred the way it had been a moment ago, when he forgot his troubles by losing himself in her.
Marian was not about to let him avoid the issue, but she decided to let his dismissal pass for the moment. “How have you been?” she asked. “It has been more than a fortnight since you last visited me.”
“I know,” he said. “We have been busy with planting and I have not been able to get away. I had to send Much to deliver the ledgers to your father.”
She leaned toward him slightly, reigniting the spark that had dissipated a few moments earlier. “I was beginning to think you were losing interest,” she said coyly as she peered at him through her eyelashes. She smiled as he looked down at the ground and shuffled his feet. His face was flush with embarrassment and he had a sideways smirk on his face. He was trying so hard to be a man, and yet in some ways he had not yet been able to leave adolescence behind.
“No, I have not lost interest,” he said smoothly, and moved so close she could feel his breath on her cheeks as he spoke. “And you are always in my thoughts.”
‘Such drivel! she thought. If she was going to give anything up today, it would be because he had allowed her to help, because he had opened himself, not because of some line of drivel! Deciding that this moment was as good as any other, she clenched her fists and spoke as he moved in to kiss her. “The ledgers, Robin…they were wrong.”
“What!” He growled as he backed away and narrowed his eyes at her, “and how do you know that?!”
“Do not worry,” she said, “I fixed them.” She smiled her most graceful smile, but it did no good.
“You WHAT?!” How could she! His face was scarlet red and his eyes flamed and she did not think it impossible that the devil had momentarily possessed him. This was not the reaction she was hoping for.
Robin was so angry that he could not even begin to form a sentence. He could feel his insides beginning to boil as he turned to the target and readied his bow once again. He focused all of his anger on the target and placed the arrow dead center. Then, much to Marian’s surprise he took a second arrow, aimed carefully and split his first arrow in half with the second! Finally in what seemed like one extended, swift motion, he emptied his entire quiver of arrows, placing them one after another in a neat ring around the first two!
She gazed at him in shock. There was so much anger flying with each arrow that Marian almost took pity on the target.
“Robin,” she quietly tried to approach him now that his quiver was empty and he had lowered his weapon.
He raised his hand and turned his head away from her. He was not yet ready to speak to her, nor to listen. What on God’s good Earth had given her the notion to examine Locksley’s ledgers, let alone put her own hand to them?! He stormed across to the target and began violently pulling out the arrows.
“Ow,” he yelped as one of the arrowheads grazed his finger. He sucked on the wound and shook his hand to rid it of the stinging. He could feel her approaching.
“Go away Marian,” he growled as he extended his arms and leaned on the target, lowering his head to his chest and refusing to look at her.
“No,” she flatly refused.
Robin felt her gently place a hand on his back, which made him momentarily catch his breath. “Marian!” He wiggled in discomfort and she withdrew her hand. He growled under his breath, “you had no right.”
“Pardon?”
“You had no right!” he yelled as he turned toward her, his eyes burning with a fury she had never seen in him. She had known when she reworked the ledger that he would be angry, but she had not expected this.
Marian took a deep breath, trying to find the words to reason with him. “That may be true,” she said, “but it needed doing and I want to help you.”
“I do not want your help!” he lashed out in angry frustration. He did not dare curse at her, though he surely felt like it.
“You may not want it,” she countered, stepping toward him and increasing his discomfort, “but you need it.”
“I do not need help!” He gritted the statement through his teeth as he left her standing alone and returned to the spot from which he had shot his previous round of arrows. He took three paces back. “Move,” he ordered her. But Marian did not move, instead she crossed her arms and leaned back to cover the target.
“Marian, move!” he readied his bow but aimed it at the ground, not daring to aim it at her.
“Not until you talk to me,” she answered calmly, but with a stubborn sternness in her voice.
What was she doing?! She was behaving…like a wife! How was it possible that a woman could be so stubborn? More importantly, how was it possible that in that very moment he felt himself giving in to her. He looked up and saw her slowly approaching him. He gripped the bow so tightly that his knuckles began to lose their color and he felt his pulse quicken and his mind begin to spin as she approached, her hips gently rocking as she walked. And then…her touch. He could not resist, and he immediately acquiesced as she peeled his fingers from the bow one by one and removed the weapon from his hands. He felt naked…defenseless…exposed…as if the bow in his hands was his last line of defense from allowing her in.
“I know you think you are strong not asking for help,” she counseled, “but it takes more strength to ask, Robin.” She was holding both of his hands in hers. She had fixed her eyes upon his and was not looking away. Her gaze made him uncomfortable, but more than her gaze, it was the knowledge that she was right. She saw right through him.
He was reeling from the closeness of her.
The next thing he knew, his eyes were closed and he could feel the softness of her lips on his. Had she started the kiss or had he? It did not matter either way once he felt Marian wind her hands behind his neck, deepening the kiss. He placed his hands around her waist, still trying to keep some distance between their bodies in order that he might keep his sanity, but as he felt her begin to run her fingers through his hair he wrapped his arms around her, pressing their bodies together and allowing his hands to move up and down her back.
Marian was not sure what to do. She had allowed herself to step beyond the boundaries of propriety in order to show him that if he would let her, she would carry some of his burden. But if she let it go much further, she would be pushing the limits of sin. Despite this knowledge, she continued to deepen the kiss. He tasted…divine…and her body shivered as she felt his tongue graze hers. She knew she must stop, but she could not make herself do it.
Finally, both needing air and both knowing that they needed to stop before the situation got out of hand, they separated their lips and stood, still embracing, breathing heavily, with their foreheads pressed together.
“Still angry?” she whispered to him.
Unbelievable. Robin could not find the words to answer her question, but he could not keep himself from smiling. He needed to not be touching her if he wished to gain back an ounce of his sanity. Reluctantly, he pulled away and walked over and plopped himself down under the tree.
Marian took a moment to compose herself as she too was reeling. She looked at Robin sitting under the tree. His body language had changed. He no longer exuded anger as he had moments ago, but instead displayed the doleful spirit with which he had roamed the halls of the castle weeks before. She quietly approached him, paying careful attention to every movement of her body and every word from her mouth so that he would not shut her out. “Will you be angry if I sit?”
“No,” he sighed. He wanted her to sit.
She sat opposite him in the grass with her legs crossed, looking at him intently as he leaned his head back against the tree. “Robin, you need help,” she said with tenderness in her voice.
“I do not need help,” he repeated his earlier mantra, though the tone of his voice betrayed that he was losing his will to fend her off.
“Yes, you do,” Marian replied, “and it should come from me.”
“You?” he scoffed.
“Yes, me.” She paused to think of the right words. “Robin, if I am to be your wife then Locksley is my concern too.”
There was silence. While it was understood by both that they would be married, neither had spoken it out loud before.
“Do you really want to be my wife?” He felt the corners of his mouth tense toward a smile at the notion.
“Yes.”
“Even though…” he trailed off.
She urged him on by taking his hand. The sensation of her touch once again stripped him of all defenses. They had been friends for as long as he could remember, and their fathers had arranged their betrothal four years earlier, but how was it possible that she knew exactly how to expose his vulnerable insides? Who was this girl in front of him? When had she become this wonderful…woman? How had he missed it…the change? When did it happen? Surely he could not ask for a better wife or mother for his children. “Even though I am rubbish with numbers?”
She could see his mood was changing and could not help but giggle. “Robin. Let me help you. I have always been better at numbers than you.”
“But what will people think, Marian? The Lord of Locksley who needs a woman to balance his accounts!”
“No one need know, Robin. Calculate the accounts yourself each month. Just let me check them. I will not write in the ledger again, I promise.” She gathered his other hand and implored him, “Please. This will only become a more difficult task once the lands of Locksley and Knighton are joined.” She paused to let him consider her request. Then she dared to close the gap between them once again as she reached out with one hand and ran her fingers through the hair above and behind his ear.
Finally, Robin extended his arms, inviting her to lean against him. As he sat, overlooking his village, with his future bride in his arms, he wished for the first time in his life that he was a different man…a more thoughtful man…a better man. He did not feel like a lord, but rather simply a man who was good with a bow. The thought even occurred to him that he loved her, this woman that he found suddenly before him. She fed his desire to be better than he was. But even that love could not completely ease the burden he felt for running the estate. He cursed himself for not paying more attention to his father. He cursed his father for leaving him so abruptly and his mother for not providing siblings to help him. He doubted his abilities to run Locksley properly and he knew that if the ledger had been incorrect, despite Marian’s good intentions, Edward must be doubting him as well. In fact, the entire Council was probably talking about him at this point. Somehow, he needed to make choices that would prove him a man worthy of his father’s lands and title.
Before the harvest Robin would make those choices, and although Marian’s protests had won him on this day, they would not on that day. He would choose his King over his people. He would choose glory over her. He would choose consequences only God might have foreseen, for in leaving he was choosing to become Robin Hood.
Chapter 3:
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Chapter 3 - Tension
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Robin raised his bow and took aim as he had a thousand times before. His right hand came to his face as he pulled his elbow straight behind him and found his sight line. He took a breath and exhaled and just at the moment his body became perfectly still, he released the arrow. His target was hit squarely in the chest. She never stood a chance, really.
Will walked to the struggling animal and finished her with his axe. “We will be eating like Lords tonight!”
“Come now,” answered Robin, “you do not like Much’s rabbit stew?” He handed his bow and quiver to Will as he squatted down to remove the arrow from the animal. “Marian will like it too. She would never admit it, but I know that she misses the comforts she has known all her life.”
“You are different, you know,” said Will, “with her here.”
Robin could not stop himself from grinning. He ran his fingers over the feathers of the arrow and his eyes closed as he pictured her. He could see her before him - her fair skin, her soft lips, her supple breasts, her eyes that reminded him of the ocean off the coast of Crete. He took a deep breath and more images came - the way she bit her bottom lip when she was trying not to laugh, the way she rolled her eyes when she looked at him in anger, the way she held a sword and gallantly fought like no man he’d ever known. The images crashed into his brain and he let them play. The very thought of her made his body tingle.
“Hmm,” Will cleared his throat as if he was afraid to disturb what he knew must be pleasant thoughts.
Robin gave his head a slight shake as he opened his eyes. As he stood, he felt his face begin to blush, embarrassed that he had allowed himself the distraction. He lifted the doe onto his shoulders and they began the trek back to camp.
“It’s amazing isn’t it?” said Will as they began to walk.
“What?” Robin asked.
“What a woman can do to you,” Will replied.
Robin laughed. “You mean make you so angry that you want to punch everything in sight or make you feel so amazing that you’d swear you can fly?” he asked.
“I mean when she is in your thoughts all of the time and no matter how hard you try, you cannot banish her.”
Robin turned slightly as he walked. “Djaq?” he asked with raised eyebrows and a sideways glance. He understood Will’s face, which was as ruby as his family name, to mean yes.
Will gave a sigh of frustration and embarrassment. “How did you know, Robin?”
Robin looked at his friend. They were outlaws together, soldiers for the sick and hungry, protectors of the King’s throne. Will had chosen to take up arms against the Sheriff rather than retreat to Scarborough with his family. But in that moment, Robin realized he just how young Will was. “Know what?”
“Know that you were…” He could not finish and looked away sheepishly. He could not force the words ‘in love’ to come out of his mouth.
“Know that I was in love?” Robin finished the question for him. He carefully considered his answer, knowing it would force him to remember his past mistakes. “I spent five years in the Holy Land, Will, and when I dreamed of home, my strongest memories were of her.”
“Yes, but when did you know?” Will asked impatiently. “Did you not know before you left?”
Robin smiled defensively. “Am I on trial here?” Will looked at him, as if he was begging him to answer, and Robin knew that Will was not prying, but rather seeking guidance. Still, Robin was unsure of how much he was willing to share. He shook his head, chagrined and answered, “I should have known…but I didn’t. Oh, believe me I wanted her, and our families had made arrangements. But I did not respect her, nor had I earned her respect.”
“Yes but when did you know?” Will asked in a frustrated voice, unsatisfied with the answer.
Robin paused his step momentarily and looked squarely at his friend, “When I realised she made me want to be a better man.” The two men smiled at one another, nodded in the way men do when they come to an understanding, and resumed their mission to bring supper back to the camp.
“So…” Robin began the conversation again, “what is it about her?” He grinned as he suspected Will did not see the sunlight filtering through the trees but a lovely face, waiting for him at camp.
Will sighed the sigh of a young man in love as he gazed up the path to where he knew she was. “What isn’t it about her?” It was not really a question, and both laughed at the truth in the statement. “She was already beautiful as a boy, but now…now she gets lovelier by the day. And she’s so smart, Robin. She’s so smart,” he sighed. “Much smarter than me.”
“Pfff,” Robin laughed. “Not to worry, my friend. Marian used to help me with Latin…and French…and numbers…and she was ten!”
“And you know,” Will stopped walking momentarily, “I swear sometimes Djaq can see right through me.”
They resumed their steps in silence, lost in thoughts of the women who had such power over their hearts and minds. Neither was very aware of how long the silence was, and there were few sounds that could have broken their pleasant daydreams, but the smiles were suddenly wiped from their faces and they looked at one another with suspicion as they heard the ‘thock’ of arrows striking wood. Robin carefully lowered the deer to the ground as Will handed over the bow and quiver and removed the hatchet from his belt. They slowly crept on their stomachs over the next rise in the trail.
Robin froze as the source of the sound came into view. On the next hill was Marian, with her longbow, taking target practice. Oh, my Lord! He did not realize his mouth was open until he felt the saliva begin to drip down his chin. His mind spun as he watched her ready her arrow on the string. But the sensation quickly traveled south as she raised her bow to eye level, grazing her breasts with her right hand in the process. Robin closed his eyes and bit his bottom lip, lowering his face to the ground. ‘My God, this is like torturing a man!’ He finally looked to his left to give Will the ‘you need to go away now’ look, but he saw only his bow and quiver on the ground.
Robin turned, “Will…”
Will already had the doe on his shoulders and had resumed an alternate route to camp so as to not alert Marian to their presence. He spun to flash a playful and slightly jealous smile at his friend, walking backward up the trail in the process. “I’ll tell Much not to expect you for supper.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Marian had not yet lived in the forest long enough to have developed an outlaw’s ears, and she did not hear her love as he stealthily slipped from tree to tree staying always out of sight. Having found cover behind a large oak, Robin peered around in amusement as he watched her attempt to load two arrows onto the string. He stifled his laughter as she fumbled and one of the arrows tumbled to the ground right in front of her. Undaunted, she tried again, still unsure of how to support both arrows and steady the bow at the same time. He could no longer resist making his presence known.
“If you want to try that trick, you need a better bow.”
His voice startled her and caused her to lose concentration and drop both arrows again to the ground. “Robin! How long have you been there?!”
“Long enough.”
“Long enough to what?”
“Long enough to know that you should try this bow,” he said, handing her his Saracen weapon.
She looked at him strangely. She had never seen him allow anyone to use his bow before. A small part of her felt honored, though surely if he was going to trust anyone with the weapon it would be her. “Thank you,” she smiled. She placed an arrow on the string and raised the bow. It was very powerful, and she could see why he liked it so. The tension on the string was smooth and easy, and the release quick and exact.
Robin was enchanted as Marian raised the bow for a second shot. She was always beautiful. He swore even in the mornings when she awoke from sleeping in her cold forest bed she was as lovely as when she had retired the evening before; but there was something about her when she had a weapon in her hand that was especially…alluring. He could not help but notice how the curves in the bow reflected her womanly shape.
“Whoa,” she said.
‘I’ll say whoa,’ he replied in his own mind as his jaw was gaping open again.
“Robin?” She waited for a response. “Robin!”
“What?”
“You were staring at me!”
Robin’s immediate reaction was to be defensive. She had caught him staring at her so many times in their lives and he always had an excuse on hand. This time however it was not a secret meeting in the village or a clandestine exchange in the wood. There would be no separation now. She had made the decision to be with him rather than somewhere else and that thought made him swell with pride. He gave a genuine though creative answer. “My two favourite things are in one place. How could I not stare?”
’Oh, dear God!’ How was it possible for words to melt her? She gave him a disapproving sideways glance and attempted to focus her attentions on her archery practice. She took two arrows and tried to align them on the string. As she struggled to support both arrows with her fingers she could hear Robin sniggering. She let out a huff of frustration, “Am I really that entertaining?”
“Yes!” he laughed with a cheeky grin on his face that said ‘you are beautiful when you are angry.’ “Here,” he offered as he stood behind her and helped her with bow placement. “Turn the bow to the side.”
She inhaled sharply as she felt his chest press against her back. She felt his arms as they supported hers. Why did she resist him so? Despite her father’s death and the awful arguments they had had upon her arrival, she was finding that she enjoyed the freedom of the forest and was genuinely feeling her love for him strengthen each day as she came to know him better. Now she understood everything he’d given up by retreating to Sherwood, the comforts he’d sacrificed, the burden he’d accepted. She so admired his strength and resolve. But at the moment, it was his physical strength that garnered her attention as she felt their bodies entwined and he placed her fingers in the proper position to support both arrows on the string.
“Now,” he said, “you’re going to put one arrow in that tree, and another in the one beside it. Do you have them both in your sight line?”
She did not answer. The sound of his soft voice as it traveled on his breath through her hair and into her ear was absolutely tantalizing.
“Marian?”
She swallowed as she tried to find her voice
Robin took his free right hand and tickled her side.
“Huh….sorry,” Marian murmured as she took a deep breath and attempted to refocus her attention.
“Now who’s distracted?” Robin asked, certain…well hoping…that her thoughts had wandered as his had earlier. They realigned their bodies and prepared to fire. “Alright…now….pull back the string supporting both arrows…good…deep breath….and…”
Release. Both arrows hit their targets squarely in the center of the trunk. Marian could not help the grin that came across her face. She spun around and found herself cradled in Robin’s arms, inches from his face. ‘Oh, this feeling!’ Why should she deny herself any longer? He loved her. He’d finally said it, and repeated it. She knew he meant it. He’d been so considerate since they had called their truce, not pushing her or condemning her but rather carefully considering her opinions and perspective, and she was working hard to think within the group rather than independently. She could feel them becoming true partners and yet she still had not allowed herself to be his partner in this way. They were so close now, breathing the same air, staring in each other’s eyes, both waiting for a signal from the other as to how to proceed. She dropped the bow to the forest floor.
That was the only signal he needed. Robin closed his arms around her and pulled her into a deep and luscious kiss. He ran his hands up and down her back and she allowed him to explore the curves that he adored so greatly. He felt his sanity disappearing. She was here. She was finally here and he had wanted her for so long, but had not wanted to push her since her arrival in the forest. His mind was spinning and it took every ounce of his strength not to devour her. This was moving entirely too quickly. He pulled back and allowed them both to breathe. He removed his hands from her back and instead grasped her head in his hands, her hair falling gently between his fingers, and he began kissing her face - her forehead, her cheek, her nose - before returning to gently graze her lips.
‘What is he doing?!’ she thought. ‘He is driving me mad!’ She felt pangs of physical need arise from deep within her. She had felt them before but always denied them. By reflex she pulled away slightly but he followed, kissing her deeply once again. Their kissing became a dance across the forest floor. The tempo would fall and rise as she pulled away to breathe and he followed. Finally she could no longer pull away when she found her back pressed against the giant oak behind which he had been hiding.
Robin paused and rested his forehead against hers, realising that she had backed herself against the tree and not wanting to move any further without her permission. Her eyes sparkled with passion. They again stared at one another as they had at the beginning, breathing the same air. ‘This needs to stop now,’ Robin felt his rational mind interfering. But the thought quickly subsided when Marian placed her hands in the curls at the back of his neck and pulled him closer. He felt her gasp as he pressed his body against hers.
Marian could not believe the sensations that overcame her. ‘His hands must be magic,’ she thought as he gently caressed her thighs…her waist…her breasts. He ran his hands down her arms, grasping them at the wrists and raising them above her head. She bit her lower lip as he held her wrists with one hand and gently caressed her neck with soft kisses. With the other hand he reached around her back and began to untie the string on her corset. At that moment, she felt every muscle in her body tense and she was immediately angry with herself. She did not want to stop but somehow her inhibitions had reappeared from deep within her.
Robin felt her tense and immediately backed away with a look of horror upon his face. “I’m sorry,” he said with giant eyes.
Oh, what have I done?!’ she thought. ‘Denying myself, denying him!’ “You have nothing to be sorry for,” she assured him between her still heavy breaths.
“I was not being honorable.” ‘But I have never wanted anything so badly!’
“Neither was I!” Marian giggled. She could not believe herself. She was giggling and as embarrassed as she’d been when they were children! She moved to approach him but stopped when he raised his hands and backed further away.
“No! You need to stay over there,” her ordered her as he once again moved to increase the space between them and regain some of his sanity. Did she not know badly he wanted her! No. How could she know? He should never have allowed it to move so far.
Marian found herself glad that her honor was still intact but wondered why she still cared that it was. She loved him. She always had, despite her anger with him for leaving. The situation now was so difficult and she knew Robin would not marry her until his lands and title were restored. Surely she could not wait that long.
Having regained control of his mind and body, Robin bent to the ground to retrieve the bows and quiver. “As I recall, a bow and arrow was involved the last time we…” ‘came so close,’ he finished the sentence in his head.
“You remember?”
He laughed and looked her adoringly. How could she possibly think he would forget that day? It was the day he had fallen in love with her. “In seven years I have not forgotten,” he said as he rested his palm on her cheek with a wink and a smile.
“I love you, Robin of Locksley.”
“Come, my Love,” he urged her forward and threw his arm around her shoulder, “We have venison for supper.”