Twenty-three:

Marian's POV:

Robin's eyes clouded over with emotion, but regained their clearness after a few seconds.

"Guy?" He asked, still holding the note.

"Umm, yes… he's been here ever since I arrived…" My heart beat was rising by the second, and I felt a little sick.

Why was I feeling guilty?

It's not like I loved Guy, or even liked him! All he was, was an incessant little fly who wouldn't leave me alone. Robin looked upset, I could always tell, even when he tried to hide it. He fidgeted on his feet, like he always did as a child, purposefully not looking me in the eye.

"Are you alright, Robin?"

"Huh?... Oh, ah, yeah! I'm fine! Just thinking about how to get out of here without getting spotted is all!" He feigned laughter and began to move towards my window.

"How did you get in, by the way?" Asking, I was genuinely curious.

His eyes where anywhere but mine, and his hands were shaking. "Y-you know through the thing," he motioned with his hands, but it was clear his mind wasn't on my question.

"Do you need to sit down, you look a little faint," I approached him, arms outstretched and ready to pull him to sit down on the bed, before he collapsed onto the floor.

"I-I'm fine really, I j-just need to get back to camp. Make sur-re everything's okay…" he lifted a foot, ready to jump out of the window, in escape. But I reached him just in time.

My hand wrapped around his wrist and he looked back at me, surprised at the sudden contact.

"Robin, I've truly miss-" footsteps sounded outside my room, they were lighter than Guy's had been, which could only mean one thing… Katy!

Robin's mouth opened to say something else, but the door handle began to turn and we were out of time. That was always the way with Robin and I; the world didn't seem to want to let us have a single uninterrupted moment!

My door was being opened, and very quickly. Fresh out of options, I let go of Robin's wrist, and rushed to the door to tell Katy I was getting changed or something.

"Marian? Why are you holding the door closed?" Katy questioned, normally I let her come in anyway.

"I-I uhhh… I've been sick!" It was the only thing that came to my mind, and I knew she couldn't stand the stuff.

"Ohh, okay. I'll come back in a couple minutes!" I waited until her footsteps were faint, and turned around to the window, to see it open, with no Robin there anymore.

Running over, I leaned out to see if I could catch a last glimpse of him, but saw nothing!

How was he getting out of here so easy?!

Something was digging into my hand, which was resting on the window sill. Pulling it back, I noticed my ring was sat there. I picked it up and examined it, my finger had felt so empty without it, and it wasn't a feeling I liked. When I took it off, I wanted to feel free, but felt alone instead.

Robin had always been there for me. Even when he was away, and I hated to admit it, he was still on my mind. This ring hadn't left my finger for years, being without it felt like I wasn't whole anymore. This ring not only symbolised the love Robin and I shared, but the loyalty and undying friendship too.

Looking away, to outside the courtyard, I could have sworn I saw Robin running away, into the forest. But before he fully entered, he turned and saw me looking at him. Giving me a gentle salute, along with a smirk, he was gone, as if he never was.

Taking my focus back to the ring, I placed it back onto my finger.

It was as if for the first time in four, long years, that my broken heart began to heal.

Just a little bit.

Robin's POV:

I felt my heart give a sudden deep thud, like it was choking. Marian and Guy… they couldn't possibly be…

But, I was gone for four years. I suppose it would be unfair to make her wait that long without any love.

Does this mean she never truly loved me in the first place?

I never stopped thinking about her, I guess I just assumed she wouldn't stop thinking of me either. Then again, I could just be overreacting. They could just be friends.

But why would be so nervous around her if they were?

Presumably he's been here as long as Marian has, so if they were friends, surely that would mean he'd be more comfortable around her! It was very difficult not to jump to conclusions like this when the girl you've loved for most of your life has a sudden admirer. From what Marian had told me when we were growing up, Guy had liked Marian way before I had even met her! This didn't help to slow my heart rate. Marian had never been interested in being his friend when they were younger, let alone been interested romantically. So, I didn't see why that would change now.

He was still, maybe even more so, a stuck-up, obnoxious, selfish, pig-headed, tyrant! Marian had morals, and she stuck to them. Though, I doubt Guy did all of his terrorising in front of her, especially if she never left the castle, she wouldn't have seen the affect he has on the villagers.

"Are you alright, Robin?" Marian's sweet voice pulled me out of my thoughts. Fumbling some excuse about escaping from the guards, I felt my hands start to shake more.

She asked me another question and tried to sit me down on the bed, but my thoughts were too loud and I couldn't concentrate.

I needed to get out of here before I puked my guts up. Reaching for the window, I was stopped by Marian's warm, hand grabbing my wrist. She looked at me with those crystal blue eyes and I felt like I was falling. Falling into a deep abyss, but I welcomed it, I had missed her warmth.

Her red-stained lips began to say, "Robin, I've truly miss-", but she was cut off again, by footsteps outside her door.

What was she going to say? Did she miss me? Was the all a big misunderstanding and she did still love me?

Her door began to open, but she rushed over and held it shut. There was another woman's voice on the other side, asking why she wasn't letting her in. I had to stifle my laughter at the frantic look on Marian's face when she uttered something about being sick! It was genius of course; the other lady wouldn't want to come in and it would give Marian some time to work things out.

There would be another time to talk to her about us, but I could see she was pre-occupied at the minute. While she was still facing away from me, I took her ring out of my jacket pocket, and laid it down on her windowsill, before climbing out myself.

Methodically making me way down, past the guards, down the rope at the wall and I was soon back onto the ground again. This was only getting easier, especially without the others! Heading back into the forest, I was one foot in, when something told me to turn around. There, in the distance, was Marian, leaning out of her window, like a princess, awaiting her prince. Not that she needed to be saved, she could save herself perfectly well indeed! The sunlight caught on something shiny on her finer- her ring!

The shaking in my hands eased and my heart returned to its normal speed. Maybe I was overthinking everything and she really was just disorientated at my arrival back into her life. It was a little sudden. Saluting with a smirk, I ran back into the forest, feet light and heart skipping.

Sometime later, I arrived back at camp to see everyone looking worried. My life couldn't run smooth for more than a few seconds, could it? There was always something worse waiting around the corner.

"Oh, thank the Lord! It's Robin!" Will's mother noticed me approaching.

"Ah, you'll know just what to do!" another villager, Veronica, who had moved here with us said.

They all looked up to me as the all-knowing being, just because I knew how to put on a brave face. The truth was I knew nothing of being a leader, not really. I had led a small group of men in the Holy Land, but that was it! I come home to see everything in despair and ruin, say a few brave words and all of a sudden, I've got people looking at me for answers I don't know!

"What's the matter?" I asked, dreading the answer.

"It's John, love. He's gone missing and none of us know where he is," Will's mum had hard lines under her eyes, and her mouth was in a frown. She was normally so positive, so it was difficult to see her like this.

"Don't worry about it, ladies. I'm sure I can find him and straighten things out." I pulled Will's mother onto a log by the fireplace, and took a seat myself. "Does anyone know where he might have gone?"

"Last time I saw him, he was heading in the direction you just came in. Will's gone looking for him too, but we haven't seen either of them for about half an hour." Veronica sat down next to Will's mum and comforted her. "Hey hey, it will be okay Alice, both Will and John will turn up!"

"Veronica's right, Alice. We'll find them both. I'll go head in their direction and I'll be back with them in no time!" Rugging After gently rubbing Alice's arm, I stood up and made my way to find my friends.

After walking for a bit, without finding or hearing anything, I saw a snapped twig, leading off to a little pathway. The direction John was said to be heading in was towards the castle.

Then it dawned on me! He was going to try and get Meg back!

It was a suicide mission alone; he wouldn't make it out alive! He knew I was heading to the caste to see Marian, so he went a different way. Sneaky. My steps became hurried and I was dodging high branches, jumping over low ones, until I head voices.

"Let me goo-umpgh! Will, plemmm!" John's muffled pleas came from behind a large tree.

Poking my head around slightly, I saw John, tied to a tree, with his hands behind his back. There was a gag in his mouth and Will was stood in front of him, grinning and laughing.

"What's going on over here then, lads?"

"Ah Robin, you've come to see the show!" Will laughed, crossing his arms. "Little John here, thinks he's good enough to storm the castle walls, all by himself."

Little John merely rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Is this true, Little John?" Walking over to him, I took his gag off.

"C'mon Rob! Just let me save Meg, I need to know she's okay at least!" There was pain in John's eyes, it was restless.

"Look, I know that you love her, John. But you can't just go in there alone, with no protection and without telling anyone! The Merry Men work together, as a team, that is how we get things done. We will save her, I promise you."

Little John eased a little at that. "Thank you, Rob. My emotions, they get the best of me sometimes." He looked a little sheepish.

"That's love I'm afraid, mate. It makes you do ridiculous things sometimes," was all I said while untying him. Didn't I know it, too! Love made me climb the castle walls twice in once day, just for the hope if seeing Marian again. But now wasn't the time to think of that, now was the time to strategize.

How on earth were we going to get Little John's wife back?

"I can't wait until I tell everyone how I pinned you down, even though you're twice the size of me!" Will was chuckling and pocking John.

"You, little man, are on thin ice!" Little John threatened, mockingly.

Back at camp, everyone had already headed off to bed, and it was my turn to keep watch. Something scratchy was in my pocket, so I reached in and took it out. It was Guy's note to Marian.

Suddenly, I realised that I didn't care about how Guy felt about Marian. If Marian had kept her ring on for this long (she looked really upset when she'd seen me with it as an outlaw), she must still have some kind of feelings for me!

Taking one last look at the note, I ripped it in half, and placed it on the fire. I sat back, and watched Guy's name burn.