Marian did not know the answer to this question. She opened her mouth but closed it again.

"There are many barons of England who firmly believe that King Richard is still alive. And who is willing to take up swords to do so."

Marian's mouth dropped open, and this time, it liked to look cordially unladylike as she glared at the thief. "Robin, if you are right..."

If true, this news could light a new fire of hope. There was plenty of discontent in the land, and few were enthusiastic about the idea of seeing the current Crown Regent as King on the throne of England. If Robin was right, and Richard was still alive - it could change everything. It would make the incumbent ruler a usurper who fleeced the people. However, if Robin were wrong, it would be treason. But that still didn't answer a question that didn't make sense to her.

"But... Why does the notorious thief Robin Hood steal in Nottingham, of all places? You were the Earl of Huntington. Or would have been." No sooner had she uttered that than she could literally feel the thin ice crunching. Robin's hands clenched, and Marian bit her lips.

Those embers were smoldering between them; if Marian was honest, there was still a pile of sharp pebbles in her stomach. Countless questions she had asked herself in the years since Robin of Locksley had chosen war over marriage to her. Then he returned and lived as a filthy thief instead of coming back to her.

The past lay like a dark chasm between them. And Marian, for her part, was unwilling to take a step closer to the edge.

'It doesn't matter anymore. And connects nothing but a past you've gotten over. So focus on what matters!' her mental voice hissed to itself. So she hurried to steer the conversation to the core of her question.

"What I mean is Huntington is several miles south of here. So why are you stealing-" It suddenly dawned on her. She broke off mid-sentence, and a bitter grin graced Robin's lips. Marian could feel the temperature heating a few more degrees and the tension increasing.
"Of course, it must be here. The new liege lord of Huntington is the Sheriff of Nottingham. And he doesn't stay in Huntington most of the time."

So it was revenge he was after all after. Satisfaction for Guy and his father for confiscating his land and wealth. So much for noble motives or helping the people of England. It wasn't about politics. Not only, anyway. Robin was still the offended boy who couldn't stand that Guy had taken something from him. It had been like that before. And apparently, he hadn't changed. That put another heavy stone in the pit of her stomach, and Marian couldn't help her mood also darkening.

"Let's just say that I can settle a personal score by stealing here while pursuing my goals simultaneously." Robin shrugged nonchalantly.

But Marian saw the harsher tone his expression had taken on. He couldn't hide that with a fake smile, either.

"Let's get back to the real reason for my visit," he hit the hook so suddenly that she found it difficult to follow him. "Your castle is now where the taxes are counted and then transported onwards." He stepped towards her, and suddenly Marian felt like a wolf was driving her into a corner. "So I thought maybe we could work together? After all, we basically want the same thing, don't we?"

It took Marian a second to realize what he was saying. Then she laughed and took a step back from him. "You are insane, Robin Hood."

But Robin followed her, instantly melting the distance. "Think about it," Robin begged. His voice sounded enthusiastic and buzzing, like a bee that had stuck itself in its own honey. "You always know when the counts are. How many guards will there be if you're planning a trap or when the carriages leave for London," his voice hummed with promise. "You and I," Robin paused in mid-sentence, his gaze caught for a few heartbeats on the young lady's charmingly aghast face. "could achieve so much more. Together." As his lips slowly pulled apart again into the hint of a grin, it planted a strange feeling in Marian's stomach.

Robin's lips turned into a lulling smile that could have rivaled any Casanova. "If your esteemed ladyship gives me the information, I can easily get in and out of the chambers. Without the big fuss you so solicitously worry about," he offered generously.

Marian wanted to disagree. To tell him how insane it was and that he was lucky she hadn't yet called the guards he so cockily mocked. But unlike some other pretty little dolls, a bright mind blazed behind her eyes where others possessed only empty marbles. So she closed her mouth and thought about it for a moment.

'Would that be right, Gillian? Is that what you and Mother would have wanted?' she asked herself.

Compared to the small amounts she stole from the corrupt tax collectors, Robin Prince John took vast sums. If they worked together, they could loot far more than before. With that, perhaps she could really make a difference. Was it fate that her paths had crossed with Robin today of all days?

"I demand a share. Half the loot for the citizens of Nottingham."

Robin almost choked. She wasn't sure if he was laughing or outraged."Half? Did you bump your head or swallow too much of your moat's brackish water in your escape?"

"Careful, Hood," Marian warned, but the thief only shook his head.

"You have lost your mind, lady! After all, I'm taking the risk alone and doing all the work." Hood snorted. "You'll get a share, but certainly not half!"

"You think I'm just going to give you the information and then wait for you to keep your bargain and actually deliver the money to me fairly divided?" Marian snorted, "You're great at running away, as we both know." She just couldn't help herself from taking the sideswipe. She didn't trust him, and that should hardly have surprised him. Perhaps that was why she should have been surprised that he contorted his face at that moment as if she had shoved a lemon in his mouth.

Instead, she leaned towards the thief, and her gaze lingered on his features. He hadn't even bothered to disguise his face. If a maid or a guard showed up now, the thief would have been caught right in her chamber! "You only leave messes in your wake. You act, head blindly ahead, like a bull. One day it will break your neck. And I certainly don't want to be dragged into such haphazard action!"

"Oh? And you can do better?"

"I've got in and out of the counting chambers unseen so far, haven't I?"

Robin laughed mockingly. "It's hardly an art in your own home. But real thievery is dirty work - and not for a lady."

That insolent...! Oh, she was going to hit him!"You underestimate me, Robin Hood," Marian rumbled between clenched teeth. Marian hated it. The image of the small, fragile porcelain doll that most people had of her as soon as they looked at her. It was true that she had been in the convent for a long time and had only recently returned.

As a result, she might actually possess a softer heart and not be shy about helping out the pitiful citizens of Nottingham with blankets or distributing soup. But that did not mean she could only hide behind a man's back!

Shouldn't Robin, of all people, know that? After all, they had known each other from their childhood days. But now, they were strangers. Years separated them, and Marian was not the same girl as she was then. "I'm perfectly capable of fighting back."

"You, able to defend yourself? Against soldiers and the Sheriff's men? Hardly! You would be no more than a burden. I have no time to save a damsel in distress on my raids. I am a thief - not a knight out of any storybooks."

With that, he went too far. Marian lashed out, longing for the satisfying sound of her flat hand on his face. But Robin intercepted her blow before it could hit him. He reached out and clasped Marian's wrist.

"Let go now!"

"Make me," Robin murmured challengingly. There was still that gleam in his eyes that annoyed Marian so much. Playful and provocative.

'He doesn't take you seriously. Like a cat who only paws at the mouse,' she thought, exasperated. The smile on his features was proof of that. A heartbeat, two perhaps. Then, abruptly, Marian pulled her knee up and rammed it into his stomach. Hood gasped, his body slumped forward, and he released her hand from his grasp. Marian had no intention of letting this opportunity pass. She lashed out again, and this time, she clenched her hand into a fist before slamming it into his face with force.

Pain exploded in her fingers, and she jerked her hand back. Hot tears came to her eyes as she rubbed her hand with the other and contorted her face in sorrow.

"By God, what's your fucking jaw made of! Iron?" she moaned as Robin struggled back up from his bent position. She shouldn't have been surprised - he was a veteran of the Crusades and battle-hardened - unlike her.

"You have quite a firm stroke, Maid Marian," Robin fluted, brushing the strands from his forehead that had fallen in from Marian's unforeseen blow. Then he rubbed his fingers over his jaw, groaned briefly, and stretched them out again. When Marian instinctively flinched, he raised both hands placatingly and then grasped the delicate fingers ready for a conviction to stand up to a thief. And all the while, Marian claimed to be the more sensible one.

Marian's heart was beating far too fast. She watched as Robin looked at the pale knuckles, soft and vulnerable - but not as tender as those of a lady who did nothing all day except meet for tea under awnings should be.

He turned them back and forth a little, looking at the redness on them, and sighed with relief as she didn't seem to be hurt any worse. Then he let her fingers slip from his grasp and looked down at her appraisingly while Marian looked up at him suspiciously.
"A third, my lady," he relented, "you will receive a third to do with as you please." Robin Hood held out his hand. "So, what's the deal? Are we partners?"

Marian hesitated for a moment. Her fingers were still throbbing painfully. This man - Robin Hood - meant trouble. He was an outlaw, outlawed, and everything that was a thorn in the side of the Crown Regent of England. But he was also their only chance to make a difference. Marian took a deep breath, then held out her hand to Robin.

"Agreed. Partners."