Robin lay awake in his bunk, listening to Marian's stifled sobs. She had no idea anyone else was awake listening to her cry, suffering right alongside her over the recent loss of her father.

If he thought his words, his arms, his presence would be any comfort to her at all, Robin would be beside her in an instant, but she had passed the stage in her grief when she clung to him. With his help, she had journeyed through it, and she now found herself in an angrier stage, pushing his well intentioned help aside, needing to work through her emotions alone. It stung Robin, but his love for her was deep enough to handle it, and he tried to give her all the room she needed to be whole. All the same, every sob that spilled out of her sent daggers through his heart.

Things were easier during the day. Marian had moved from being almost constantly sad to being frequently angry and impatient, to acting almost like her former kind self, with only occasional bursts of sorrow or anger.

During the day, Robin rejoiced in her presence. Just being near her, seeing her morning, afternoon, and night, was intoxicating to him. His gang was by turns amused or annoyed by his giddiness...his focus on her. True, without Marian alerting them to the sheriff's schemes, they weren't accomplishing as much good as they had before she left the castle, but Robin told his men and himself they only needed to be smarter and think up new ways to secure information.

Much was the most vocal complaining that Robin had lost his focus...that he was more concerned with spending time with Marian than in fighting for justice, but the others knew it wasn't true. Robin still cared for the people, and risked his life to help them whenever he could. Much was jealous of Marian's hold over Robin's heart. If Robin would only let his friend know how much he relied on him, Much would have no cause to worry. But, of course, Robin took his friend for granted and never let him know how much he truly cared.

Tonight, as Robin lay listening to the soft sobs coming from his love's bunk, his mind was busy planning something to lighten Marian's heart. He was determined that tomorrow night, she would go to sleep happy and content, and sleep peacefully all the night long. A slow smile crept across his features as he formulated his plan.

...

A few hours later, well before dawn, Robin climbed through the upper story bedroom window of Lord and Lady Leaford, then purposefully dropped a stone on their bed to startle them awake.

"Robin!" Lord Leaford cried, recognizing the outlaw. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Apologies for the interruption," Robin grinned sheepishly. "I'm here on an errand of mercy."

Lady Leaford sat up in bed, torn between being outraged at Robin's presnce in her bedchamber, and delighted to see him up to his daring antics again. She had been a girlhood friend of his late mother's, and had always cherished the mischievious lad with the caring heart and winning ways. He had always been able to coax and smile his way around her.

"What do you want, Robin?" she asked, ready to open her husband's coffers and lay their wealth at his feet.

"All I want," he replied charmingly, "is the loan of your horse."

Lord Leaford laughed. "We are honored you asked," he jested. "Word is you are wanted for horse thievery as well as all your other crimes."

"What can I say?" Robin asked. "Horses just follow me home, and the next thing you hear, I'm accused of stealing them!"

"Be that as it may," Lord Leaford continued as his wife laughed appreciatively at Robin's boyish charm, "which horse do you want, and why?"

"The cream colored one."

Lady Leaford beamed. Rainment was her prized palfrey, and she could guess the reason Robin wanted her.

"Of course you may borrow Rainment," she said. "Keep her as long as you like."

Robin smiled his thanks, and Lady Leaford wanted to rise from the bed and enfold him in a big motherly hug. Her horse Rainment shared the same sire and mare as the Lady Marian's former horse Vesper, and the two palfries had been as alike as two peas in a pod.

It was said Lady Marian had lost her horse Vesper in the same tragic fire that burned Knighton Hall to the ground, for the fire that had destroyed the house and everything in it had quickly spread to the stables, and the poor horses had been trapped inside the blazing inferno.

"You heard my lady wife," Lord Leaford agreed, though his mind was busy creating excuses and objections that he never fraternized with the outlaw Robin Hood. "Saddle her yourself, and be quickly away. Leave the stall open, and the door to the stables as well. I suppose this means I'll need to give the stableboy a sound thrashing come morning, when we discover his carelessness."

Lady Leaford noticed the objection on Robin's face, and she eased his mind.

"My husband jests," she lied, though she'd see to it no harm came to Peter the stable boy.

"Thank you," Robin said brightly. "I am in your debt."

Before they had a chance to bid him farewell, he had disappeared on his "errand of mercy."