Maid Marian - Heart of Nottingham

The royal gardens of Nottingham Castle basked in the golden afternoon light, where the rhythmic 'thwack' of a badminton shuttlecock echoed between two figures. Maid Marian moved with effortless grace, her lilac gown fluttering like a butterfly’s wings, while Lady Kluck charged each return with the vigor of a Highland charge. A rustle at the garden gate interrupted their game—tiny noses pressed between the iron bars, wide eyes gleaming with curiosity.

"It's all right, children. Don't be afraid. Please come here."

Toby Turtle fidgeted, his shell shifting nervously. "Do you think it's safe?"

Tagalong tugged his sister’s paw. "That's Maid Marian."

Sis nodded, already skipping forward. "Mama said she's awful nice. Come on!"

Tagalong scrambled after them, his ears bouncing. "He-Hey, you guys, not so fast. Wait for me."

Marian knelt as she gathered the shuttlecock.

Tagalong’s cheeks flushed. "Gee. You're very beautiful."

Sis blurted out the question burning in every child’s mind: "Are you gonna marry Robin Hood?"

Tagalong nodded sagely. "Mama said you and Robin Hood are sweethearts."

Marian’s ears twitched, her smile turning wistful. "Well, um, you see, that was several years ago, before I left for London."

Toby, ever the curious one. "Did he ever kiss ya?"

Her laugh was soft as dandelion fluff. "Well, uh, no. But he carved our initials on this tree. I remember it so well."

Skippy, never one for subtlety, grinned. "You gonna have any kids? My mama gots a lot of kids."

She sighed, tracing a pattern in the grass. "Oh, he's probably forgotten all about me."

Skippy puffed out his chest. "Oh, not Robin Hood. I bet he'll storm the castle gates, fight the guards, rescue ya and drag ya out to Sherwood Forest."

Lady Kluck swooped in, her voice dripping with theatrical warning. "Now, just a moment there, young man. You've forgotten Prince John."

Skippy puffed his chest. "That old Prince John don't scare me none."

Toby shrank into his shell. "I'm scared of Prince John. He's cranky."

Kluck’s eyes gleamed. She snatched up a badminton racket, brandishing it like a scepter, her voice morphing into a nasal whine. "I, Prince John, challenge you to a duel. Take that. And that. And this."

Skippy leapt onto a garden bench, swinging an imaginary sword. "Death to tyrants!"

Kluck recoiled, clutching her chest. "Oh! Ouch! That's not fair. Mummy!" She sucked her thumb dramatically just like Prince John would, staggering in circles as the children howled with laughter.

Marian pressed a paw to her brow, swooning onto a near rock. "Oh, save me, my hero. Save me."

Kluck collapsed onto the grass, limbs splayed. "Ohh! Mercy! Mercy! He got me. I'm dying. Ohh!"

Skippy suddenly concerned. "Did I hurt ya? Huh?"

Kluck sat up, whispering. "Now, this is the part where you drag your lady fair off to Sherwood Forest."

Skippy grabbed Marian’s paw with gusto. "Come on, lady fair. Let's go!"

She let him tug her across the lawn, sighing like a damsel in a ballad. "Oh, Robin, you're so brave and impetuous. Oh."

Skippy scratched his head. "Yeah, I guess so. Well, now what are we gonna do?"

Marian’s eyes sparkled. "Well, usually, the hero gives his fair lady a kiss."

Skippy recoiled. "A kiss? Oh, that's sissy stuff."

"Well, if you won't, then I will." She laughed, leaning down to peck his cheek.

The garden erupted in giggles, the children rolling in the grass like a bundle of joyful puppies.

---

Later that night, in the hush of Marian’s tower chamber, her gaze fixed on the distant silhouette of Sherwood Forest. "Oh, Klucky, surely he must know how much I still love him."

Kluck’s tone softened as she blew out the candle. "Oh, patience, my dear. Patience. Remember, absence makes the heart grow fonder."

The door clicked shut. Alone now, Marian leaned in the windowsill, watching the stars shimmer above the treetops—the same stars, perhaps, that Robin saw from Sherwood. Her whisper curled into the night like a secret:

"He hasn’t forgotten... I know he hasn’t."