Maid Marian's Bodyguard

Three months have passed, after King Richard came back to England from the Crusades, bringing back the order and peace all over the kingdom. He even punished his snobby brother, Prince John, the latter he had to pay for all his mistreatment towards the people; including all the knights and soldiers who have been loyal to their corrupt ruler.

All of them, but one man.

Henry was the one and only knight who defied the prince. It all started when Henry was knighted after his achievements in the Crusades and gained the respect of the nobility, especially from King Richard himself. But after King Richard departed, Henry showed the greatest disagreement and displeasure when John took over his older brother's throne, before raising the taxes which would lead the poverty for the people of England.

Of course, Prince John didn't take Henry's protests well and decided to demote him and threaten him for defying to the crown. But that prompted the young man to plan a rebellion by leading the helpless people to raise arms against the injustice from John's men. He confronted the tax collectors in front of the peasants have joined his cause, inspiring them to chase them out of their village.

After that, the former knight spoke to the whole village about the misery and exploitation Prince John brought, and with fervor he declared it's now the time to show they had enough and rallied to fight back. They were moved by his speech and decided to join the fight, and so Henry started to recruit and train the peasants who had the strength to hold a pitchfork. Though his methods were controversial because of the fear of starting a new war, more people joined his side. Therefore, Henry formed up a small army of free men, whose purpose was to dethrone Prince John.

The news of the rebellion didn't take long to spread across the country, until they reached to Prince John's ears. Outraged, he put the bounty on Henry's head, turning him into the second most wanted man in all England, which got him the attention to the famous archer and thief, Robin Hood, who had decided to meet Henry face to face.

Both men had the same goal to liberate England, but they had different ideas. Robin Hood was against Henry's declaration of war because he was putting the lives of the innocent people in danger. Henry couldn't deny the outlaw's disagreement, but then he surprisingly offered an alliance with him. While Robin Hood hesitated that first, he eventually accepted it.

The alliance had a huge impact because by combining their forces, Henry and Robin worked together to steal plenty of money, weapons and supplies to strengthen their army of free peasants, until Prince John's soldiers had lost much of their territory and retreated to their last defense, King Richard's castle. However, instead of attacking the castle, Henry decided to keep them surrounded, because he knew Prince John was now unable to fight back, and the only thing he could do is pray that his older brother won't give him a death sentence.

Eventually, King Richard had returned, and he was told by Henry, Robin, and his people, about what his younger brother have done during his absence. Not only he punished John and his followers, Richard also knighted Henry once more for his act of valor of protecting the people in the desperate times. As for Robin Hood, he was also knighted by King Richard, for which he gave up his life as an outlaw and made a new living in Nottingham. But this was just the beginning.

The King of England also put Henry's services to Maid Marian, to become her personal bodyguard, much to his shock when he learned it was the request by the noblewoman herself. Henry knew Maid Marian pretty well after he was knighted, but as far as he's concerned, they just started to get to know each other.

Henry was convinced there must be a good reason behind her request and he had to get to the bottom of this.

***

A couple of soldiers, one of them a wolf and the other a human, got out to the courtyard while carrying a trunk, heading towards the royal carriage with two horses standing still and snorting. The guards pushed the trunk up with struggle and tried to place it on the roof of the carriage.

"Here, let me help you."

Suddenly, Henry showed up and helped the guards to load up the carriage

"Heh, thanks Henry. I see you are already prepared for the trip." The wolf said when he noticed Henry was already dressed.

Not only was he wearing the chainmail armor and the breastplate, he also wore a light blue surcoat with its embroidered golden lion on the chest, clearly to show how very loyal he is to King Richard.

"Well, I thought it would be better to wake up early and get myself ready." Henry replied with a shrug.

"Good point, by the way, you still haven't told us how you feel about joining the holiday with the lovely Maid Marian?" The other soldier asked with a grin.

"Yeah, you must feel really lucky she didn't request an escort, this might be your only chance of a lifetime to charm her!" The wolf chuckled at the nervous look on Henry's face.

"Come on guys, why do you think I will try to make her fall in love with me? I'm just her bodyguard." He replied with his arms crossed.

"What does it matter? Don't tell me you're gonna waste it just because you just met her? You have to admit Lady Marian has a fine arse."

"Adolf, shut your mouth! If anyone would hear this, King Richard will have your head off!" Henry hissed as he looked around if no one is eavesdropping.

"I'm sorry Henry, but he has a point." The other soldier said with a low tone, earning the shocked look from the young knight. "You can't try to ignore the fact she has the body of a goddess, and I've seen many men undressing her with their eyes."

"That's true." Adolf, the wolf, nodded in agreement. "But can you blame us? We don't have the position like you to have such an opportunity like you just have."

"Enough, I get your point!" Henry groaned as he rubbed his eyes. "She has a fine figure, I get it. But I just want to make it clear, the reason I accepted to be her bodyguard is to find out why she chose me. Although, maybe you're right about one thing, this could be my chance to get to know her better and maybe I'll get the answers I'm looking for."

"You can't be serious Henry, are you saying Lady Marian has a secret and you're planning to get answers out of her?" Adolf retorted with an accusing look.

Henry was taken aback. "What? N-No, I mean..."

"Shit, line up guys, they're already here!"

They turned around and looked up to see King Richard along with Maid Marian and their escort, coming out of the castle and going down the stairs, heading towards the courtyard. In haste the two soldiers took up positions and formed up a line, while Henry stood straight, next to the carriage.

Just when King Richard and his niece were now approaching, Henry's attention immediately drew to the noble vixen. He didn't forget at all how beautiful Maid Marian was, but he was still amazed like it was his first time to see her beauty. Her lavender body-hugging dress accentuated her hourglass figure that showed off her curvaceous hips and her natural big breasts, even her perky nipples could be seen through the cloth of her dress.

Some men, even the escort, were casting a few glances at her appealing features that their eyes grew lecherous. However, she remained calm while wearing a soft and sweet smile, before her attention was drawn to her bodyguard, who just straightened his back when they made eye contact.

"Good morning, your majesty, my lady. The carriage is all set with all your luggage and ready to go." Henry spoke with a bow.

"Oh you don't have to be so courteous Henry, you're joining the holiday with my dear niece after all!" The king laughed and patted the young man on his back so hard that almost took out his breath. "You have done so much for my kingdom while I was far away and you really deserved it. I wish there was something else I can repay you!"

Maid Marian let out a soft laugh behind her hand. "I think you're being extremely generous with our hero, uncle." She turned to Henry. "But he's right Henry, after all what you did to give the people hope in such difficult times, you must have been under a lot of stress. So I figured it would be good for you to spend some time in peace." She stated as the noblewoman stepped closer to him.

"That's... really kind of you my lady." Henry answered with a tone of surprise, but a smile grew on his face. But then, he cleared his throat. "I mean, I'm such honored you are concerned about my wellness." He said plainly.

"Oh Henry, don't you think you're being kinda obsequious to your lady?" Maid Marian's best friend, Lady Kluck, scoffed at the way he was addressing her.

He remained speechless that he found himself unable to answer that question.

"Klucky, you're making him feel embarrassed!" Maid Marian laughed at his face flushing red. "Jokes aside, we should take our leave by now. The sooner we go, the sooner we'll get there. I take that you have everything you need, Henry?"

"Of course, let me just get my horse and then we're good to go." He was about to make his way to the stables, but then Maid Marian spoke.

"Oh that won't be necessary, I was about to ask you if you'd like to join me in the carriage? There's room for one more." She said with a radiant smile, as if it was something she's been eager to give him that kind of offer.

Henry on the other hand, was taken aback as his mind was trying to process what he just heard. If he wasn't wrong, it's very unusual a noblewoman would invite a knight to travel together, but apparently King Richard and the others didn't seem surprised at Marian's invitation, as if they actually saw that coming.

"A-Are you sure my lady? I mean, I wouldn't mind your offer but..."

"Aw stop being shy, young lad! Just go with her!" Lady Kluck suddenly got behind Henry before pushing him.

He stumbled towards Marian and before he would say something, he noticed she was not only waiting for his answer, she was expecting for him to say yes, judging by the look of the excitement of her eyes with her hands clasped on front. At this point, Henry knew giving her a no would be the bad decision to make her smile disappear, and that would be his very last thing to do, it's not like he's forced to fulfill her request against his will though.

"As you wish my lady." Holding back a sigh, he responded with a nod.

Marian grew pleased to hear his answer, before she turned to King Richard. "It's time we take our leave uncle, I'm still deeply grateful for accepting all my requests, especially giving Henry the chance to have some rest. Although I still can't help but feel I've been asking you too much."

King Richard placed his hand on her shoulder. "Marian, the fact I granted all your wishes is because I'm convinced you and Henry will have such a great time together. Besides, this could be the perfect chance for you to get to know each other, since I rarely see the two of you having a conversation."

His statement almost took Henry by surprise, that he thought the king must have read his mind. Then again, that could explain a lot behind the king's consent.

"I understand." Marian lifted her dress slightly and bowed, before she turned back to Henry. "Well, shall we?"

Henry nodded and he opened the carriage's door to let the noble vixen get inside first.

"You both have a safe trip, but more importantly, have fun!" King Richard beamed and bid farewell.

"Take care my dear! And Henry, be a good boy and don't try to be naughty to your lady!" Kluck exclaimed with a snicker.

At first Henry thought Lady Kluck was just making fun of him, but then he noticed Adolf and the other guard, who were standing behind King Richard, gave him thumbs up and a wink. He only shook his head, but he proceeded to wave his hand with a smile to the people who were wishing him and Maid Marian a good trip.

The coachman who was a dog, cracked the whip to the horses, and they trotted on the way out of the castle. The sun was now shining bright upon the greener fields and the road, marking the start of a beautiful day.

***

Henry felt like the trip was taking longer than he expected, not because the carriage was going at a slow pace, but the fact that he remained quiet ever since he and Marian left the castle. It's not like he's just being shy to not be able to talk with a woman, more like he doesn't know how to keep a conversation with her.

The young man grew up in a village as the son of a blacksmith to begin with, and while he can be quite charismatic with the ladies, he thought a noblewoman is on the other level that could be much of a challenge for him.

Right now the only thing he could do was looking down at his folded hands. Although sometimes he took look out of the window to view the beautiful landscapes, where he probably didn't explore before.

"Henry, you seem a little troubled, is something bothering you?"

He perked up and turned his head to see Maid Marian sitting in front of him, looking at him with a hint of concern. However, he resisted the urge of looking at her large bust bouncing slightly by the movement of the carriage.

"Oh no, not at all. I was just thinking about something." Henry waved off while trying to avert his eyes away.

"You sure you don't want to tell me what's it about? There's no need to keep that in secret, unless it's personal."

In that moment, Henry deeply appreciated someone like Marian could be so kind to ask that question. Clearly she had a heart so pure that he would think she's sent from the heaven whose purpose is to help the people in distress.

"Don't worry my lady, it's not a big deal." Henry reassured to come up with a convincing excuse. "I was just asking myself what I'm gonna do, now that I have a holiday. In fact, I never had one before for years in my military career."

"It's true, to be sent out of England for the crusades must have been so stressful for you. I can't imagine how lucky you were to survive in such a dangerous campaign." Marian responded softly, still wearing the look of concern.

"Yeah, I still can't believe how I managed to stay alive after so many battles. But I volunteered to go there after all. Have you ever wondered how much bigger Europe is than our country? I mean, we can see it in the maps, but when you travel across that continent you start to feel like is way bigger than you could imagine! Even I finally got the chance to visit the Kingdom of France and you would not believe me how beautiful their lands and cities are!" Henry got enthusiastic the moment he's sharing his experience to Marian, not even realizing that he was actually having a conversation with her.

"I didn't know you have the spirit of an adventurer." Marian replied with a gentle laugh.

"Heh, yeah, maybe you're right." Henry chuckled sheepishly. "I've been dreaming about exploring the world for so long instead of spending my whole life in my village, though I guess I should take the safest way instead of going to another war."

"That would be a good idea." Marian agreed with a nod, but suddenly she perked up when a thought came in her mind. "You know, I never thought about this before but... I would love to see the world as well."

"My lady?" Henry inquired with a look of surprise.

"Unfortunately, my uncle wouldn't let me go far away from England, unless I'm allowed to go with him in his travels, but I think it would be great if we go together. After all, you are my bodyguard." Marian said cheerfully.

"Wait, is that possible?" The young knight asked and he grew enthusiastic.

"Mhm, and I'm very sure my uncle would be happy you come along with us."

"I... I don't know what to say my lady..." Henry couldn't stop smiling, nor find any words to show how much appreciated he was.

"You don't have to thank me Henry." Marian responded kindly. "You might think you don't deserve that kind of reward I'm giving it to you, but this could be the only safest way to travel Europe for a knight to keep him away from being called for a war."

"My lady, has anyone ever told you are the most generous person God has ever created?"

"I've been told a few times."

They both shared a laugh as the atmosphere of the trip went from awkward to joyful and fun, even they shared some stories about their personal lives. Since then, Henry became more confident and relaxed to keep the conversation with Marian.

About almost two hours later, as the time was midday already, the carriage suddenly came to a halt.

"Oh, I think we finally arrived!" Marian said cheerfully before she was about to take a nap.

Henry opened the door before being the first to step out, so he could help the noble vixen get out of the carriage by holding her hand. After that, Henry turned around to look what kind of a building will accommodate them, before his mouth hung open in awe at the breathtaking sight.

It was a large two story stoned mansion with gabled roof that almost makes it look like a fortress because of its size, only there were no walls surrounding the building. A row of bushes trailed along a pathway of cobblestone to the steps leading up to the main entrance of the manor.

"I can't believe it! This is the place we'll stay?" Henry said, genuinely impressed by the size of the house.

"Of course, my uncle used to take me there on special occasions. His father used to own this place before giving it to him in his final days. This is the reward my uncle wanted to give you." Marian revealed with a soft smile.

"I... I'm speechless. Are there any more surprises waiting for me?" The knight inquired, finding himself hard to believe if he really deserved to have such a reward.

"I say we should take a look inside and we'll find the answer, shall we?" She replied and gestured Henry to take her arm.

Henry cheerfully obliged as he hooked her arm around his and so made their way into the manor house.

When Henry and Marian crossed the main gates, he gawked at the marvelous sight of the hall. He could barely see his own reflection on the polished marble floor. A giant, majestic chandelier, hung from the carved ceiling. Not to mention the main room didn't lack the ornaments of tapestries and carpets. Henry thought whoever owned this place, must have belonged to the previous king of England, maybe someone even wealthier.

While they walked across the long red carpet, they were greeted by a black panther, along with a couple of menservants standing in front of them; behind them there was a grand staircase with a small fountain. He wore a dark reddened embroidered tunic with a short cape, a pair of black and red trimmed leggings, and a matching beret adorned with an ostrich feather. Apparently he's the steward of the manor.

"Welcome Lady Marian! It's such a great honor to have your presence here!" The panther beamed with his open arms.

"It's good to see you too, Oswald." Marian responded with a sweet and cheerful smile.

The steward then turned to the young knight. "And you must be Henry! The Hero of England! It's such a great privilege to finally meet you, Master Henry!" He and the servants bowed to the young man.

Henry couldn't help but chuckle bashfully, a little embarrassed at his praising.

"I assume our private rooms are ready?" Marian inquired.

"Of course! Let us take care of your luggage while you settle in." Oswald clapped his hands and the servants made their way to the exit, where the carriage was awaiting to be unloaded. "Now follow me and I shall take you to your room, Lady Marian." The panther turned around and went up the stairs.

"Sir Henry, would you care to escort me to my chamber?" She suddenly leaned herself closer to Henry, pressing her breasts against his arm.

Evidently Henry was completely flabbergasted, not because he didn't expect she would invade his personal space, but he just noticed the hint of flirt on her voice, even she just fluttered her eyes at him. It was clear she was trying to seduce him, but what he couldn't comprehend is why.