Hi! This is my first Robin Hood fanfiction so please review, it'll persuade me to continue!!

Her horse's hooves thudded against the soft earth, sending fallen leaves spinning wildly through the air. They were a golden shade of yellow, a sure sign that autumn was on its way. The air was growing colder, the clouds greyer, food scarcer. Everywhere she looked Lady Marian could see tell-tale signs: the animals retreated to their homes for hibernation, the poor desperately pulled their few coins together to pay for the all too necessary cloaks and woollen garments, and the woods became deserted as the skies grew darker and children retreated to the relative warmth of their homes. Today however, she saw none of this. She was too caught up in her own furious, distracting thoughts.

It had been no small feat to get out of the castle. Now that the sheriff had imposed house arrest on her and her father, it had taken all of her persuasive skills to be allowed out for a ride through the woods. The Sheriff had grudgingly agreed, threatening that if she was not back after three hours, he would kill her father. This had only served to make her more frustrated, and she rode heavier than usual, the horse's pounding hooves providing a rhythm to her thoughts. Stopping in a clearing, she whistled sharply. She didn't have to wait long.

"What can I do for my fine lady today?" Robin Hood asked with a grin, stepping out from behind a tree. Then he caught sight of Marian's expression. "What happened?" Marian took a deep breath.

"My cousin is coming to stay!" She told him angrily. Robin frowned.

"Which one?" Marian had numerous cousins, most of them female and most of them identical. Robin had never been able to remember the names of more than one per visit.

"Lady Roseanna Woodsen," Marian answered, mocking the girl's full title. "My wonderful aunt and uncle decided that my youngest cousin should be sent to assist me in the caring of my father."

"The problem with that is...?" Robin asked as they began to make their way to the underground base Will Scarlett had built for him.

"I can't stand my cousins! Robin, you know that. Don't you remember when they used to visit?" Robin had a sudden, vivid flashback of a fifteen-year-old Marian's reaction when she'd heard of her cousin's upcoming stay. He winced.

"Maybe she's changed. How old was she when you last saw her?"

"Eleven," Marian admitted grudgingly. "I didn't have much to do with her. Her sisters were mainly unbearable. She has four, you know."

"Have I met them?" Robin asked. He vaguely recollected a band of giggling girls filling Marian's house and Marian stubbornly locking herself in her room. Marian thought hard.

"I think so. It would've been when I was twelve. She was eight then, so you probably won't remember her, but you'll remember her older sisters. They were nightmares."

"Was one tall and blonde?"

"That would be Serena, the eldest. She's the worst, always looking in a mirror, pulling at her curls and batting her eyes-" She was cut off as they reached the base, and Robin helped her inside. The rest of his gang was already there, and they greeted her enthusiastically.

"What's the news?" Allan called out to her, with the grin that seemed to be permanently fixed across his face. Before Marian could retort, Robin answered for her.

"Marian's having a relative coming to stay for a while." Marian snorted then caught herself. Snorting was unladylike.

"It'll be for a while, I can assure you. My Aunt may say she's sending her youngest to assist her ailing brother, but I know the real reason. With her out of the way, that's one less dowry to afford, though from what I can remember of the girl she wouldn't be getting many offers." Djaq grinned behind her hand.

"Surely that is slightly unfair," she pointed out. "I'm sure this girl cannot be that bad. She is merely a girl, after all."

"If she's anything like my other cousins, she'll be that bad and more," Marian sighed, coming to sit with the gang.

"Who are your cousins?" Much asked, intrigued.

"The Woodsens," Marian replied darkly.

"You mean Lady Serena Woodsen?" Allan asked excitedly, looking over at Will.

"That would be one of them, yes," Marian answered in confusion, looking over at Robin, who shook his head with a grin. "How do you know her?"

"Why she's told to be the most beautiful lady in the land!" Allan elatedly, grinning at Will, who was smiling too. Marian's expression darkened dangerously. "I've heard she's got hair like spun gold and eyes like sapphires! A lot of men would give anything to catch sight of her, I tell you."

"Beautiful? Her?" Marian spat venomously. "She's the most obnoxious, insolent, selfish, conceited-"

"I think that's enough," Robin cut her off with a wide grin as Will and Djaq stifled laughs. "She's not the one staying anyway." Allan's face fell.

"Who is?" He asked sadly.

"Her sister, Roseanna," Marian replied, looking slightly smug at Allan's expression. "I doubt she's half as attractive as her older sister; none of the others were."

"Just how many of them are there?" Much asked incredulously.

"Five," Marian told him. "Serena is the eldest child. Then there's Eleanor, Christiana and Arabella. Roseanna is the youngest."

"Imagine living with five women," Robin groaned. "Imagine the fuss! How would you ever make a quick decision?" Djaq and Marian glared.

"Where I come from, it is normal to have many children," Djaq commented. "I know families with eight, nine daughters. It is not such a big deal." She sent a pointed look at Robin.

"Trust me, if they were my cousins it would be," Marian sighed. Then she stood. "I must get back. If I don't...needless to say, the consequences are far from pleasant."

"Look after yourself," Robin frowned.

"Don't I always?" Marian smiled, a trace of good humour flickering across her lips as she stepped out of the base. Then she was gone.

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It was a chilly morning when Lady Roseanna Woodsen made her appearance. Seeing as Marian and her father were under house arrest, Lady Roseanna would stay in the castle along with them. It was with the Sheriff and Sir Guy of Gisborne, therefore, that Marian was standing on the cold steps of the castle. Her father, due to illness, was confined in his room, leaving Marian to welcome their guest alone.

At another blast of cold wind, Marian pulled her cloak tighter, scowling. She wished the wretched girl would just arrive and be done with it. She did not appreciate having to dress up in her best to welcome her younger cousin, and fidgeted with the sleeves of her dress in irritation. Sir Guy and the Sheriff didn't seem to mind the cold; on the contrary, the Sheriff was smiling pleasantly into the wind. Marian frowned, wondering what he was so happy about. If he was laughing at her expense, then she would not be pleased at all.

Suddenly, the gates began to open, admitting an elaborate carriage. Marian had always hated the fact that her relatives were better off than her – her father could never have afforded such a carriage. Two servants jumped from the front, hurrying to open the carriage door. Marian held her breath as her cousin stepped out. She was everything Marian was not. Taller, curvier, even her skin was paler and smoother. Golden ringlets hung down to mid-back, framing huge blue eyes. Her nose was small and delicate, her lips a perfect pout. Her dress, unlike Marian's, was sky blue and elaborately embroidered. She gave a beautiful smile.

"It is so good to see you again, Cousin Marian!" She announced with a sweeping curtsey, and Marian hated her immediately.

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