I was afraid you would not be here, he said, removing his cloak and laying it across the bench underneath the tree.

Twas I who asked you to accompany me, she reminded him.

Yes, but I doubted the sincerity of your request. For that I must apologize.

No need for apologizes, my Lord, Marian insisted.

Might I have the honor of this dance, milady? he asked, extending his upturned hand toward her.

A shy smile played upon her blushing lips, and she slid her hand into his. He clasped it gently and led her away from the tree. He stopped on a bare patch of earth and bowed to her. She dipped toward the ground, holding her skirt in her hand, and then he lifted her hand and placed his other alongside her waist. Her free hand rested lightly on his bicep, and she felt the muscle twitch beneath his shirt.

The music was gay and rousing, and Gisborne began to move her across the lawn, twirling and sliding their way among the dancing villagers. His stolid expression slowly faded, and it was soon replaced by a glowing smile that lit up his entire face, pushing his cheeks up so high they partially obscured his pale eyes.

Marian, too, began to smile. She was dizzy from the excitement and the whirling as they spun to the music, and she began to laugh aloud. It had been many moons since shed been able to truly enjoy living.

The daily toils of her labor at the castle had taken its toll on not only her body, but her spirit. Shed long ago been broken, reduced to an empty shadow of her former self. But tonight, she felt like Lady Marian of Locksley once more.

The stars were bright overhead, winking merrily. The crescent moon hung in the sky. Torches cast their golden light on the revelers, and not a frown was in sight. For one lone day, everyone forgot taxes and poverty and starvation and only knew joy.

The music stopped and the minstrels took their leave for a moments respite and a drink of ale. Gisborne kept their dancing pose for a moment longer than was necessary, and then he reluctantly released her and stepped back.

Shall we walk? he asked.

All right, she agreed.

Gisborne gathered his cloak from the bench and threw it over his shoulders. Then, with his elbow at her arm as if guarding her from some unknown evil, they strolled along the lane under the silver-blue moonlight.

Marian, may I speak freely? Gisborne asked.

Of course, my Lord.

You are quite unusual for a maidservant.

She was silent.

I am sorry, Gisborne said. I did not mean to offend you.

I am not offended, my Lord, she said. I am simply thinking how best to explain my situation.

I understand. Please, take your time.

For a while they walked in silence, and then she finally began to speak again.

I am n.o.ble born, she explained.

Gisbornes eyebrow lifted and he said, Then how is it you have come to your current station?

We didnt always live in the cottage, you know, Marian said.

Oh?

We once lived in the large house north of the village, beyond Locksley Manor, she continued. After my mother died, Father became very ill and he had to give control of the manor to the Sheriff of Nottingham to clear his debts. We bought the cottage and moved there, and I got a job at the castle to support my ailing father.

What happened to your mother?

Marian got a faraway look in her eyes, and her vision blurred.

The Sheriff had her killed, Marian croaked. Mother was a Lady, and Father was a Lord, but the Sheriff had them stripped of their t.i.tles, me included, because my father refused to relinquish control of his lands at the Sheriffs request. The Sheriff warned him that if he tried to fight him, he would regret it, but Father was stubborn and refused to be bullied. So the Sheriff had Mother executed. It was after her death that Father finally relented in order to protect me.

Im sorry, Gisborne said quietly. Then he added, Might I ask you something else?

Of course.

How is it you know Robin Hood?

We were friends since childhood, she explained. We used to play together in the village as children. We went hunting and fishing together. That was back when his family still resided in Locksley Manor.

The music of the minstrels restarted in the distance, and Gisborne extending his elbow and said, Shall we return?

Marian tucked her hand inside his elbow and nodded, and they turned about and returned to the festivities.

Would you like something to drink? he asked.

Please, said she.

Marian returned to her spot under the tree, where she was joined by a few of the women of the village who greeted her politely. It wasnt long before many of them headed away to dance, leaving only Marian and Annie, the cobblers wife.

Marian, that man you were dancing with... who is he? asked Annie.

Dont you know? Thats Lord Gisborne.

Gisborne! No. It cant be, Annie whispered.

What are you on about, Annie?

Hes the one! Annie hissed.

The one what?

The one who brings the food to the village! Id recognize him anywhere! Oh, sure, he keeps his hood up and tries to hide, but Ive seen those boots, that cloak, that hair. Its him, alright.

Gisborne? Marian asked, turning her eyes toward him as he waited at the long table, which was laden with food and drink.

She watched as he bent down to accept a flower from a toddlers chubby little hand. A smile played on his normally sullen face, and he thanked the little girl politely, smelling the flower and then handing it back to the girl. She placed the flower behind his ear and giggled, and he chuckled along with her.

Perhaps it wasnt such a ludicrous idea, after all. He was certainly wealthy enough. But why would he hide his generosity?

He returned with two goblets of wine, extending one to her, and she took it. She sipped it lightly, and soon the goblet was empty. Gisborne returned their goblets to the table and came back to her.

Shall we walk again? he asked, and she took his proffered elbow.

May I ask you something, my Lord? she asked as they strolled away from the gathering.

Please, he invited. And would it trouble you to call me by my given name?

My Lord...

Please, Marian, use my name.

As you wish, she said. Guy.

What is it you wished to ask?

Are you the one who brings food to the village at night? she asked bluntly.

His mouth opened, and a slight grunt came out, but he said nothing.

Guy? Marian urged him.

Tell no one, he said. I do it not for attention, but because it is necessary. Lord Blackstock would... well, lets just say he would not be pleased if he knew.

How long have you been doing it? she asked.

Since the day you fell ill during the banquet, he said. You were telling the physician and his nurse about the starving villagers, and I knew I had to do something.

I dont understand something, Marian said.

What dont you understand?

Well, all the things Ive heard about you... the things Ive seen with my own eyes... I just cant understand why a man who has done such terrible things would take the time to bring food to the poor people of the village.

Marian, the things Ive done have been at the behest of Lord Blackstock.

So why do them? Why not just leave his service... leave the castle?

Its not that simple.

Of course it is! If you are not happy about the things he makes you do, then leave!

I know too much, Marian. If I left, he would have me hunted down and executed, because he would feel he could no longer trust me to keep his secrets.

How did you even get tangled up with him, anyway?

When I was a child, perhaps about seven, my parents dropped me off at an orphanage. I remember the day like it was yesterday. I cried, I begged them not to leave me, but they told me I was more trouble than I was worth and they just left me there.

Go on, Marian urged.

I lived there for years watching other children be adopted one by one, but never me. As time pa.s.sed, my hope that I might one day have a family again began to dwindle, and soon faded away entirely. One evening, Lord Blackstock showed up at the orphanage and said he wanted to adopt a child. He chose me because he said I looked smart and strong. I was twelve. I should have known it was too good to be true, that no one would ever want me, but somehow I still had hope.

He adopted you?

Aye. Of course, he was exactly the kind of father you would expect him to be. He was harsh... brutal. He fed me little but gruel and water, forced me to work long hours in his service, beat me when I failed the tasks he gave me. A weaker man would have perished under such circ.u.mstances. But not me. I was determined not to let that man break me.

Oh, Guy... Marian said softly.

When I was fourteen, he had me trained to fight. Well, when I say trained... he had the guards beat me until I learned to fight back. Eventually, I learned to defend myself, and I became the best fighter around. It was around that time that he turned me. I had no idea what he was until that night.

Oh, my.

The worst part of it, Marian... the worst part... his eyes glistened as moisture filled them, was that I couldnt control my hunger for so long. I killed so many people. I destroyed so many families. And he never even tried to teach me to control it. He thought it was amusing the way I struggled with it. Sometimes, I even enjoyed it, and to watch me struggle was somehow entertaining for him.

Marian laid her hand gently on his arm.

Guy, Im so sorry.

Eventually, I learned to control it. But I still have to feed. So I feed on those who have done wrong. I feed on murderers. I feed on men who hara.s.s women, on drunks who beat their wives and children.

But surely you must know that even that isnt right, Marian said.

Of course I do! he shouted, but he quickly lowered his voice as the other revelers began to stare. But what would you have me do, Marian? Die? Do you not understand? If I dont feed, I will die a slow and painful death. Every single time I feed I am riddled with the guilt. It tears away at me, eating away at my soul. One day there will be nothing left of me but this hollow, soulless monster!

But why kill them, Guy? Cant you just...

I cant.

Leave them alive?

I have to kill them, Marian. You dont understand. Once Ive bitten them, there are only two options. I can either drain them of blood until their heart stops beating, or they turn into a monster like me. Another soulless killer.

Marian shuddered.

So... one bite, and they turn into one of you?

He nodded sorrowfully.

Why didnt you tell me any of this before?

Because you never gave me a chance. Your mind was already made up about me before we even spoke.

Marians head dropped in shame. For as long as she could remember, shed preached the necessity of giving people the benefit of the doubt. Now, shed shamed herself greatly.

Guy, I cannot apologize enough. You are absolutely right. I didnt give you a chance.

Its all right, Marian. I understand.

Somewhere in the tree line off the lane, Marian noticed a glint. Her eyes focused, and she saw Robin with his bow raised, poised for a kill. Her hearing dulled, her ears beginning to ring. The world slowed down as if moving in slow motion, her heart thudding sickeningly in her chest.

No! she shouted, stepping in front of Gisborne with her arms outstretched.