When Guy was unable to find Robin's hideout and the Sheriff's gold, he got a lecture and a new task. The Sheriff had discovered a new armor, plates of metal that were supposed to be lighter and better than the chain mail knights usually wore. Guy was to test it out and see if it was sufficient to use against the Sheriff's and Prince John's enemies. That included Robin.
He spent a day in the forest testing it out with the metalsmith and a dozen of the Sheriff's guards. I decided it was the perfect time to visit my father and ask him why he hadn't told me that we already knew Guy when I was a child. After a hurried breakfast, Guy set off with the men and I made my way to Knighton. Per Guy's order, I rode the horse slowly and carefully most of the way, although I couldn't resist one run through a clear meadow.
My father was happy to see me, as always, and was thrilled when I told him I'd be there most of the day. We went inside and caught up - he had been to Nottingham a few days before and brought me back news that I hadn't heard from the guards who came that morning. Two people I knew had been hanged for stealing, but Robin had saved some from the same fate the day before. We talked about my pregnancy, and he told me how happy I looked; how I glowed just like my mother had. I smiled tearfully at the thought of her, wishing she could be here to experience it with me.
After we had talked for a while, and exhausted all the subjects I could come up with, we fell silent, and I knew it was time to ask. As I took a breath, he gave me a questioning look, and asked me what was on my mind. I told him that Guy had told me his story, and my father's eyebrows rose with surprise.
"I was wondering when he would tell you," he said softly, and held my hands. "How are you taking it?"
"I am wondering, Father, why you never said one word to me about Guy living here before, and the fact that I knew him," I replied with what I hoped was a steady voice. He sighed and looked down at my hands in his.
"When he left before, you were inconsolable, Marian. You cried for him for days. When he came back, he was so changed, and it was obvious that you didn't remember him. I didn't want to dredge up the past for that. When Robin came back, he and I decided -"
"Oh, so now you and Robin know what's best for me?!?" I asked incredulously, taking my hands out of his.
"Now, hear me out, Marian," he pleaded. I sighed, crossed my arms, and waited for him to continue.
When he had seen Guy with the Sheriff, he had recognized him immediately. Remembering how Guy had been with me, my father was hopeful, but quickly saw that he was not the same person he had been. Unlike me, my father didn't catch the glimmer in his eyes when he looked at me. So my father decided to wait and see how Guy acted before telling me anything. He quickly decided not to say anything, as Guy's actions got worse and my hatred of him grew.
When Robin returned, my father met with him, and they decided together not to tell me about Guy's history. Here I scowled, and he pleaded with me to understand. I sighed and gestured for him to continue. I knew why Robin hadn't wanted to tell me -- I would have looked at him differently, not just Guy. I was fuming at Robin -- again.
When Guy had proposed, and coerced me into accepting, my father had thought about telling me, but Robin had talked him out of it again. My father had thought that telling me might resign me to marrying Guy -- at least if I knew that he had once been good to me I might be able to make marriage with him work. But Robin had argued, successfully, that it was pointless to tell me how he used to be when he was so different now. Here I stopped my father, holding my hand up to let him know I had something to say.
"Father, I do understand your reasons. But, do you understand Robin's? Now that Guy has told me what happened, I am not seeing Robin in the same light I saw him before. I now know him to have been a selfish, arrogant, headstrong boy who put his life and the lives of those around him in danger multiple times. He didn't want me to know this about him. It had nothing to do with Guy!"
"Marian, of course it had to do with Guy. Robin was afraid that if we told you about it, you would change your opinion of Guy, and actually choose him. He was right, you know, because you have chosen him."
"Yes, I have, Father. But it wouldn't have been such a hard journey if you had gone with your instincts and told me. I see no reason, especially once I had wed him, not to tell me."
"I know, and I am sorry for that. I love you and want what's best for you. Everything I did was with that in mind. I see now that I was wrong. I should have told you, at least after you married him. Can you forgive me?"
"Of course I can father!" I gave him a hug and kiss. "I can't forgive Robin yet, but I will think about what you have said." I stayed for a while longer, and then took my leave, returning home to see how Guy's day had gone.
I got home at dusk, and was greeted in the stable by the Sheriff's guard and a small, frightened, boy. When I asked what he was doing there, the men shrugged, all seeming quite reluctant to tell me. I put my hand on my hips and gave them my best glare. One timid voice spoke up, telling me that the boy had seen them testing the armor in the woods, and was now their prisoner. The boy looked up at me with large eyes, and I smiled reassuringly at him.
"He's coming with me!" I said forcefully, and they all stood by while I took the boy's hand and led him into the house. I called for Guy, who called back from his study. I sat the boy at the table, called Sarah in, and told her to give him something to eat, and then watch him so he didn't leave. Then I went to find Guy. When I entered the room, I stopped short, and my breath came out in a whoosh.
Guy was standing by the fire while a servant removed his armor. He was naked from the waist up, and as I met his eyes, the familiar intense hunger filled me. I saw the answering fire in his eyes, and he dismissed the man. I walked toward him as if in a dream, slowly, while he stood and watched me. I kept my eyes on his as I got closer, and before long I was standing in front of him. Clearing my throat, I raised my hand and touched his chest. He closed his eyes at my touch and let out a shuddering breath, and his lips parted in that way I had come to know so well.
I stepped closer and kissed where my hand had touched. Although the room was warm from the fire that burned low in the fireplace, I could feel goosebumps raise beneath my lips. He stood still, and when I looked up at him he looked glorious; his eyes closed in rapture and his lips still parted slightly. I brought my hand back up and traced the muscles from his shoulders down to his stomach, where his pants were most certainly getting in his way. I caressed him over his pants and he inhaled sharply, whispering my name as he exhaled. I got up on tiptoe so I could whisper in his ear.
"How do I get this armor off of you, Husband?" He moaned hoarsely and opened his eyes, turning my insides to mush with his intense look.
"I'm not sure," he whispered frustratedly. I got down on my knees to see if I could figure it out, and came face to face with the full evidence of his arousal, straining to get through his pants.
"You look uncomfortable, my Lord," I said in a low voice, and was rewarded with another moan. I struggled with the armor for a few minutes before discovering the secret, but removed it slowly anyway, to build his anticipation. Once it was in a pile on the floor next to him, I helped him out of his shoes. Next I ran my hands up the outsides of his legs. He laid his hands on my shoulders as my hands came to his hips. I brought them around to his front, slowly, stopping on the bulge straining the material.
My fingers found the string holding his pants closed and untied it, slowly drawing it through the holes in the material, until I had reached the bottom. He moaned softly as I reached up and grabbed the top of his pants, slowly peeling them off him until they released him. He sprang to attention and his hands tightened a little on my shoulders.
"Is that better?" I asked, and he whispered yes, his hands finding my hair and threading through it. I peeled the pants off the rest of the way, and he stepped out of them. I ran my fingertips back up and around to cup his bottom as I eyed his erection, jutting so proudly from between his legs. I sighed softly, relishing what I was about to do, and leaned closer.
I started with a soft kiss and, encouraged by his moans, brought one hand back to curl around him and move in tandem with my mouth. He shuddered and shook, moaning my name hoarsely as I moved up and down his shaft. Suddenly he was urging me up to him, and pulling me up into his arms. Kissing me passionately, he carried me over to the bearskin rug in front of the fireplace and lowered me to it.
As his lips continued to devour mine, his hand explored downward, pulling my dress down to find my nipples already hard in anticipation. Moaning into the kiss, he moved further down, pulling up my skirt and cupping me, his finger finding me already wet. Pulling away, he looked at me in amazement, and I smiled slowly. He positioned himself above me and thrust deeply into me, pausing while I adjusted to the invasion and returning his attentions to my swollen lips.
It didn't take long for us both to finish and, satiated for the moment, we lay together on the rug. My breathing and heartbeat were erratic, as were his, and we were both drenched with sweat. Between our exertions and the warmth from the fire, we were quite heated. I cuddled closer and traced his chest again. Remembering what I had come into the room for, I asked why a boy had been in the stable with all of the guards watching him. He sighed and sat up, much to my chagrin.
"He witnessed the test on the armor, and I can't have the secret revealed," he explained as I sat up and pulled my dress up to cover my breasts. He strode over to retrieve his pants and put them on.
"What does that mean, Guy?" I asked, dreading the answer. He ran his hand through his hair and turned to look at me.
"What do you think it means, Marian? I can't let him go, not yet. I'm not going to hurt him, of course, but he has to stay here until this is done." I let out a relieved sigh, but gave him a questioning look as he finished what he had to say.
"Until what's done, Guy? What are you doing?" I tried to keep the accusation out of my voice, but why was he keeping secrets from me? Or perhaps he just hadn't had a chance to talk to me yet...I had accosted him as soon as I entered the room, after all. I took a deep breath and waited.
"This armor will revolutionize how we fight, Marian. It's made from special Damascus steel, and would make any force using it indestructable. The Sheriff wants me to fight Robin in it to show how well it holds up." He started pacing.
"We don't have to keep that a secret, Guy. We are on the same side as Robin."
"Yes, I know, but if the guards know that I let the boy go, the Sheriff will hear about it. He will assume that the boy told Robin and have him hanged. I must keep him here or I cannot guarantee his safety." I nodded my understanding and went over to him, placing my hands on his arms.
"Everything will turn out ok, you'll see." I told him, hoping to calm him down. He placed his forehead against mine and sighed. I wrapped my arms around his neck, caressing his nape softly.
We went out to the table and told the boy, whose name we discovered was Daniel, that he would be staying with us for a couple days. We sent one of the guards to let his family know, so they wouldn't be worried. He would tell them that we had taken a liking to him and just wanted to have him for a few days. They might have been concerned about Guy, but they would probably appreciate my taking an interest. He would sleep in Sarah's room, so he wouldn't be alone and so he couldn't escape.
After dinner, Guy and I debated whether to tell Robin, and how much to tell him. I wanted to tell him more than Guy did, but we ended up compromising. When Allan came the next day, Guy would explain enough so that Robin would be prepared, but not how special the steel was. With that settled, I needed to tell him about the conversation with my father.
I took his hand in mine and told him how my father and Robin had decided not to tell me anything about his history. He wasn't surprised - he would have been surprised if they had said anything. He understood my father's reasons, as I had, and agreed that he had seemed to change, and not for the better. He also agreed with my assessment of Robin's reasons.
"He would definitely not want you to think of me in a better light -- I am sure that was his main reason." Guy said softly, and I nodded.
"He thought that he could still whisk me away -- even after we were wed," I continued, and shook my head. "He doesn't really know me at all if he thought I would go back on my marriage vows, especially after you were so sweet to me." I blushed, and looked down. His hand held my chin, and he urged me to look up at him. The look in his eyes was so tender that my heart skipped a couple beats.
"No one else has ever done that for me, Marian." He said softly.
"What?"
"Chosen me." He took a deeep breath. "Florienne stayed with her husband, Davina used me, The Sheriff ridicules me every chance he gets. You are the one person who has chosen me, and I am grateful for that." I hugged him, hard. He needed that. He always needed that. He hugged me back, and we sat that way for a long time.
The next day was the big Armor test. Robin came to play his part, although I could tell he wasn't upset to fight Guy. Guy's armor was...kinda funny looking, but I managed to keep a straight face. The fight went in Guy's favor, up until he ended up in a barrel of water -- upside down. Robin started swaggering around, but I couldn't take my eyes off Guy. He wasn't getting out of the barrel...he was just thrashing around in it. Suddenly I realized that he couldn't get out. The Sheriff was laughing at Guy's thrashing legs, Robin was full of his victory, strutting around, and the guards were milling around not sure of what to do.
"Robin!" I shouted as I ran toward the barrel. He watched me for a moment and then started over toward it too. We both grabbed an arm and pulled, but it wasn't enough. I started panicking, but Robin called the guards over and they actually listened to him. Running over, they pushed the barrel over and Guy flopped out, gasping. I sat down next to him and started pulling at the armor. Luckily I'd had some practice with it, and was able to remove it a little faster than last night.
Guy looked terrified, and as soon as I sat next to him he grabbed on to me, holding tight. Once I got the headpiece off I stroked his hair, murmuring that it was alright, I had him. I looked up at the Sheriff, who was still chortling, and glared at him. How could he be so unaffected by his second in command almost drowning?!?
"It appears we have found a chink in the armor," I told him calmly, and he guffawed. Once he realized what I meant, however, he glowered and stalked off. They couldn't fight in this armor if it was so heavy that they would drown in shallow water.
I helped Guy up and into the house, where I took off the rest of the armor and got him up into a warm bath. I sat with him, murmuring endearments to him until he stopped shaking. Then I took him to bed and held him as he slept.