Robin Hood [Medieval Teen/Young adult]

Marian looked at Robin, her face shadowed with worry. She dismounted the horse and turned to see if Much needed any help getting off. Seeing as he didn't she went to the horse's head and stroked his muzzle. Once Much was safely off she took the reins and followed behind Robin into locksley. She watched him, taking in his every movement. She wondered what he was thinking right now. To have all the ones he loved think he was dead must be...she couldn't even imagine. She tore her eyes away from him and looked around, not sure if this really was locksley. Everything looked normal, but something was amiss. She just couldn't place what it was.

Robin stormed into the village, his heart pounding at his chest. His eyes darted over his surroundings, although they were blurred for a moment as he took time to adjust to what was going on. There were people everywhere, peasants, crowding around where the manor used to be. He could see guards pushign the peasants as they carried a few loads of wood towards the manor. Robin's eyes narrowed. What were they doing to his home? He looked down to a sign nailed to a tall wooden post beside him and frowned, his forest green eyes flickering over the words as he struggled to take them in.
'Locksley Manor Under Construction. KEEP OUT'
"Under construction??" Robin growled furiously and lookd up over the premisis. This place used to be Locksley village, his home. He'd lived there his whole life, yet now... now the peasants had been forced into slavery just to get it reconstructed??

Marian walked over and stood beside Robin. Her mouth was agape in horror at what she saw. The peasants were being shoved towards the manor, carrying wood. She closed her eyes, hoping it wasn't real. When she opened them again, there they were. She shook her head in disbelief. Finally, she turned to Robin.
"Robin...?" She tilted her head, looking at him worriedly. He was her very best friend, and with all that had happened in the last few hours, she couldn't imagine what this had added.

Robin shook his head faintly, unable to trust himself to even speak. So they were rebuilding the manor, but why were the villagers having to be forced to do the work for them? Marian spoke his name beside him, but he barely heard her. Blood was thumping at his eardrums, and it was as if everything had suddenly gone quiet. But wait, that wasn't the blood. He frowned, his head snapping up to the commotion around him. A dark figure sat high on his black horse as the guards dragged all the peasants to attention in a line around him. What was going on?
"Three sacks of flour have gone missing from the manor kitchen" he declared, his low rumbling voice echoing over the grounds. Robin's eyes narrowed.
"It will be accounted for" his voice turned to a menacing sneer as a boy was dragged out from behind a run-down cottage, his hands tied behind his back. A guard followed him closely behind, carrying a pair of large sacks of flour. He dumped them beside the horse, shaking his head. "No more, sir"
The figure raised his chin, and flickered his darkened eyes over the small croud. "Who helped this...runt?" her asked in disgust. "Speak now, and the two of you" he turned to the boy, who was struggling with the guard's grip. Robin noticed he was shaking. He couldn't blame him. "May just live to see another day" the figure finished, his lips twisted into a cruel smile. Robin's eyes widened. He knew that man, from a long time ago. They had been enemies ever since they were boys. Guy of Gisborne. But it couldn't be him, surely. When had he ever become this powerful?

Marian watched in absolute horror. She looked at Robin again, then strided towards the man. She knew what she was about to do was stupid, but what they were doing was wrong. She cleared her throat.
"Ahem, excuse me, Sir, but what do you think you're doing? This is a boy, and surely you are not planning on punishing him severely." She raised an eyebrow at him.

"I see." She paused, and looked at the boy. "Well, you see. This boy hardly even took the flour. No, he just helped. I actually was the one who took it." She didn't even look over at Robin, because she knew this would upset him. She hoped she was convincing, but she made sure her face didn't show her doubts. She looked up at the guard, grim determination taking over.

Marian's eyes widened and she did something she hadn't planned on doing. It was probably just a reflex to the man's brutality and it disgusted her, but she did it anyways. She spat right on his shoes, and then glared up at him.
"Pig." She hissed as Guy's men grabbed her. She didn't care, all she cared about at the moment was the boy and what they would do to him.

Guy raised his eyebrows, looking down at the small spit marke by his horse's feet. "Hm, spirit. I like it. But it may irritate me after a while." he shrugged, sitting himself straight in the saddle. "No matter, we'll soon beat it out of you" he smiled sweetly and pulled on the rope now attached to her wrists. "Come my dear, the castle awaits"

"Wait" A firm voice came from nowhere as a figure strolled through the croud, his head held high. Robin. "Guy of Gisborne?" he said rather flatly, still striding towards him and his horse, his eyes dark.
"That's Sir Guy of Gisborne to you" A guard shot towards him, everything in his tone shouting 'threat'. But Robin couldn't give a hoot. He just kept his eyes on Guy, and his face expressionless. "And bow before your master"
Robin stopped a few yards away from the horses, bowing only faintly before him. "Sir Guy of Gisborne" He corrected himself, straightening himself back up. "My name is Robin. Earl of Huntington and lord of this manor." His eyes twinkled innocently as he raised his chin, looking Guy right in the eye. "Your services here are no longer required" he almost sneered, watching as Guy's face went suddenly pale with utter rage. He'd been humiliated infront of everyone, and good for him. That's what he got for trying to bully young women.

Marian tugged at the ropes, hoping she could at least get them out of his grip. No use. Then Robin came up, and she couldn't help but smile. She watched him intently, and looked back at Guy. She laughed at his embarassment, then looked back at Robin. Now get me out of these ropes. She thought, hoping he'd at least get the idea from her glare.

Guy's eyes narrowed suddenly as Robin shot him a very subtle smile, so only he could notice the fool was laughing at him. The swine! He clenched his jaw, looking the figure up and down. He didn't look like a noble. But of course, Guy had been warned about Robin possibly coming home after fighting in the war. But he hadn't actually expected him to survive! "These criminals have been caught red handed stealign food from my kitchen. They have to be punished" he growled.

"That's my kitchen" Robin corrected. "And the girl hasn't done anything wrong, I heard everything. Your only arresting her to, what was it, to 'have the pleasure of her company'? Arrest the boy if you wish, but I will make sure the Sheriff has him pardoned. I don't know what the law says about justice nowadays, but a death sentence for stealing flour is obscene"
Guy grumbled something under his breath, tightening the grip of his reins. "But the girl owned up to her crime. I don't care what you say sir, she is going the exact same place the boy is. The castle dungeons"
Robin's eyebrows twitched upwards. So it was going to be like that, was it? He knew Marian. She hadn't even known about the village until they had gone there just then. So she was certainly not guilty of the crime she was supposed to be. He turned his head just over his shoulder, where much was slipping his hand in his belt. "Much?"
Much pulled out a small knife and in a split second he had sent it spinning through the air towards Marian's ropes, and cut through them and landed on the post of a fence a meter or so away from them all. Marian, Robin knew, was innocent. But he could not let the boy go. He had been caught. But he would make sure the boy was set free. He wouldn't let him die, especially not for stealing flour.

Marian rubbed her wristed where the ropes had left red marks. Oh well, they'd go away in about an hour. She gave Guy a ghastly glare, and walked over to Robin, her head held high. She looked at Much and smiled her thanks to him, then turned to stand beside Robin. She knew he wouldn't let the boy be killed, but at the moment there was nothing either of them could do. She just hoped this would not get ugly, for she wasn't in the mood to see any fights. In due time she supposed, with the way things were going.

Robin's expression remained neutral as Marian walked towards him and Much, although his eyes were sparkling in amusement. Now he really hadbusted Guy's bubble, hadn't he? He almost wanted to smile. "Now I'd reccommend you get off my land, before I have to take legal action" he sneered, taking a step forward towards Guy. "One thing, I will be celebrating my return, by pardoning any of the villagers you arrested whilst I was away."
Guy looked him up and down. "Only the Sheriff can pardon, you know that" he said bitterly.
"It is custom for the Sheriff to hear his Noble's requests on such matters" he answered.
Guy raised his eyebrows, seeming slightly amused by the suggestion. "Yeah, well I think you should take that on with the Sheriff" he answered, flashing Robin an knowing smile and took hold of the boy's ropes and yanked them, hard. The boy cried out as he tripped and was dragged to his feet, just as Guy set off at a trot down the road. Robin's eyebrows knitted into a frown. He decided he didn't like this Guy of Gisborne, and that he never had. Now he knew exactly why.

Marian watched them go, her eyes full of sympathy for the boy. When they were gone she glanced over at Robin.
"Robin...?" She ventured, glancing over at Much. She wasn't sure what to say, but she knew she had to say something. Her voice had grown softer now as she looked at him. She tilted her head to one side and waited for him to speak.

Robin's gaze remained stern as he watched Guy and his men trot smugly out of the village, not even looking back at him as they dissappeared out of the gates. Although his mind was racing, and it was Marian's voice that made him jump slightly. He clenched his jaw, feeling his head shake stiffly in disgust, until his eyes scanned all the village starign at him, their faces a mixture of exhaustion, shock and unknowing terror. Robin knew why. "Now we're in trouble" He muttered quietly. By the smug knowingness in Guy's tone when he'd mentioned the Sheriff's pardonings, that little boy was not going to be let off easily. At least, not the legal way. But he knew if he did anything, anything that slipped against the law as a Noble, his status would be wiped clean and he'd loose everything. But what was he meant to do?

Marian furrowed her eyebrows together. "Robin..I don't want you to do anything hasty." She said gently, placing her hand on his shoulder. She wanted him to look at her, but at the same time she wasn't sure that she wanted to see what was in his eyes. She knew that getting the boy back would be near impossible, at least legally it would be. She let out a sigh, and let her hand fall away from his shoulder.

[grrrrrr it's so short D:]

[Really, it's fine xD Sorry mine are so long ]

Robin continued shaking his head, still unable to meet her eye. He couldn't believe his luck. He was so happy about returning home safely, and this was the hello he got? His fists clenched on either side of him, and he inhaled a long, shaky breath. Her touch tingled on his shoulder for a moment, and he felt himself relax slightly. But it didn't last long. "I wouldn't be able to if I tried" he smield humourlessly. "Not without losing everything that's of value to me. But what I do have to do is see the Sheriff, and find out what's happening about that boy." he mumbled stiffly, finally forcing his eyes to look at her. Seeing how innocent she looked beside him, he felt almost...guilty.

Marian raised her eyebrows slightly. "Would you like me to come with you?" She asked, raising her hand slightly as if to touch him again, then she drew it back. She looked down, feeling terrible he had to see all this. Especially after being in the Holy Land. She shook her head slightly, clasping her hands together infront of her.

Robin felt so infuriated, but he couldn't help himself. He needed her to stay with him, and keep him sane. "Could you?" he asked, his voice almost shaking. He didn't trust himself. He couldn't walk into Nottingham knowing what was going on behind his back, not without doing something he'd regret. "I need someone to stop me in case I do something we'll all regret" he winced slightly, as if the guilt was somehow causing some sort of pain. He felt so bloodthirsty all of a sudden... Was this to do with his time in the war? Was this who he'd become?

Marian nodded. She took his hand in hers and stroked it softly, hoping she could somewhat calm him down. She didn't know what to say, only what to do. She waited until he decided he wanted to go, knowing not to push him. She watched him, her gaze changing from worry to fondness. "I thought you were brilliant."

Despite himself, Robin began to smile. Her strange ways of making him feel better really did work. "Yeah, I was" he muttered, looking down at his hand in hers. "I was brilliant saving your sorry backside from a life of hell" he said croakily "if not certain death. So yeah, I didn't do too bad for a first entrance, did I?" He asked, his voice softening gradually as he felt her touch, and wrapped his fingers around her small, delicate hands. "That was some risky stuff there, ya know. You could have got yourself killed. That is, if you weren't so beautiful"

She felt her face turn red. She scoffed. "My sorry back didn't need to be saved, thank you very much." She grinned at him, then turned her eyes away. "But thank you." The thank you was meant for both saving her, and for saying she was beautiful. Not that she didn't hear it many times a day, but coming from Robin it was very different.

Robin raised his eyebrows. "You so too needed your backside saving, what with ending up in Gisborne's company, you'd be lucky to ever leave his bedroom!" He chuckled, although he was satill serious."Your not just a pretty face, are you Marian?" he said softly, running his fingertips over her soft cheek. "You didn't have to do that, you know. I had it all under control"

She pressed her cheek against his hand, loving the way it felt. "You absolutely did need help. Without me you'd be nowhere." She turned her face to gently kiss the tip of his finger, then turned back and grinned at him. "I'm the brains of this operation."