Marian's thoughts and impressions of Guy and her situation the moment after she has accepted his proposal. Conflicting emotions will give her some unexpected surprises. Spoilers: Up to episode 7 of season 1.
Disclaimer: BBC and Tiger Aspect own Robin Hood 2006. No copyright infringement intended, no money being made. Guy and the characters belong to legend. Though the wonder of this particular Guy of Gisborne belongs to Richard Armitage.
Of Necklaces and Betrothals
The way their betrothal came about did not bode well for any future marriage. No matter, Marian had been forced into it to save her father's neck as well as her own. Something would get her out of this situation. She had bought herself time to no end; the return of the King was – alas – far away in the future. Sad or not, she would be out of the betrothal long before that happy day.
How could a knight be so offensive in his behaviour? She knew Sir Guy of Gisborne was a warrior and under the sheriff's heel. Still; why so obviously crude? He could do better. Understand better.
"Do you like it?"
His deep voice had been so close to her that its heat had brushed her neck, just like his long, glove-less fingers had done when he hung the necklace round her neck.
"Yes, I do. But..."
Marian had liked that necklace from the very beginning. Guy had good taste in gifts, she could not deny that. It was just not proper to accept them, since it was leading him on. But to not accept them was making him upset in a less than pleasant way. Guy had hung the necklace round her neck and it had felt... well, enjoyable. Maybe even too enjoyable. It made her hesitate, and he displayed irritation again.
"You do not like it."
Marian saw Guy's anger for what it was: insecurity. He declared it to be a gift of friendship. This implied that he did not mean to push her into anything, as long as they were loyal friends. For now.
"I do like it. I shall treasure it."
But she had betrayed Sir Guy. He had been offensive by taking the necklace from the peasant girl and giving it to her. Or rather, he could have refrained from taking the necklace as a fee for the girl's marriage, even though it was a custom. Nothing strange in itself, it was just that neither Robin nor Marian herself had bothered to find out the particulars...
She had been letting Robin taunt her and let him interfere. What went on in her life was really none of Robin's business. Her feelings regarding Robin might confuse her, true.
Just as she was confused by the way Sir Guy... stirred her.
Robin had been at her window the night before to find out more of what was going on in the castle, and to try to kiss her. She had avoided Robin's kiss, just like she had avoided Guy's less than five minutes ago. Robin tried to use her again, for information. Nonetheless, it was flattering.
She was also flattered by Guy's attentions. Guy had presented a gift, had tried to win her and her alone. She had been so sure that she could handle them both, individually, and in the long run stay loyal to herself.
She had promised herself that Robin would never be allowed to taunt her again, but it had happened anyway. Robin had, in his usual way, put them all into pointless danger. Having to accept Sir Guy's unexpected proposal had meant another self-betrayal.
To own the truth; neither Robin of Locksley nor Guy of Gisborne lived up to the expectations she had of a future husband.
And then there was Sir Guy's sergeant. Tortured to death, because of her actions. Because loyalty was on one end of the scale and betrayal on the other end. Loyalty, betrayal...
Marian's head was spinning. No one's behaviour looked well on closer inspection. And Robin was far away by now. Robin...
"Shall we go downstairs?" Guy asked tensely, watching her every expression.
She raised her head and looked at him, really looked at him where he stood: tall, broad, slender and clad in black. He had turned from angry, violent, threatening, despondent, amazed, worried, insistent, curious, hopeful, triumphant and passionate – to finally end up like a shy little boy, hoping for her approval. It was a bit rich to take it all in. Overwhelming, to say the least.
And she had, for the first time ever, been afraid of him. Cautious, careful and avoiding she might have been when he had displayed a foul mood before in her presence as Lady Marian.
In his presence as the Nightwatchman, she had taken every opportunity to take her revenge for his misdeeds and misbehaviour. She had never been afraid of him, however.
Many things thrilled her about being the Nightwatchman, but fighting Guy of Gisborne was the greatest thrill of them all. He showed his smooth, suave and killing side. She was his match. And she loved it.
She might easily have struck him now, in her room, and fled, even getting her father with her. Robin would have helped them to safety. No more awkward wooing from Guy of Gisborne.
But his anger this day... She had finally seen the monster that was Sir Guy of Gisborne, henchman and master-at-arms of Nottingham, directing his fury on her. Evil and menacing, he had advanced on her. His voice and his eyes so cold. Struck her father. It had scared her to the bone. She had not expected him to be so frostily passionate about it. And it was not the necklace that mattered to him.
It was her.
"Show me the necklace!"
"Please..."
Please. Her little plea had worked. It had bought her time to overturn her room. Robin had arrived at the last moment. A little plea had turned Sir Guy's countenance. Another lie had saved her. He desperately wanted to believe her.
"Will you – marry – me?"
Who was this man? A man who one moment declared her as good as dead, and the next moment vowed to marry and protect her from every evil.
Save himself, the greatest evil of them all.
Perhaps that was unfair. But he had threatened to have her killed.
"Yes," Marian answered firmly to his question – again. She would go downstairs with him and face the world with her decision.
Guy's countenance lit up. He extended his gloved hand to her. She had managed to avoid his kiss; to decline his hand would not be wise at this point, so she walked forward and took it. He gasped with surprise and she saw his delighted smile. She had never seen him smile in such a way; lips slightly parted and somehow fuller, his features amazed and happy.
She had to look down quickly, confused and embarrassed. It was as if she had seen too much of his private self, something she had never intended to do.
They stood opposite each other, he was holding her hand in his with a surprising gentleness. She could feel his hot breath on her forehead.
"Lady Marian..." he said in a low, husky voice that sent a shiver down her spine. She remained silent, waiting. "I know..." he continued, "I know that my – behaviour this day has been... very bad indeed."
Marian shuddered. This was the last thing she had expected at this point. He was right, to be sure. But had her behaviour been any better, no matter her nobler motives? Well, she had not threatened to kill anyone...
"I do... genuinely wish for your apology and your father's too."
She gasped, could not bear to look at him.
"I forgive you, Sir Guy," she answered in a shaky voice. "Will you repeat your apology to my father himself?"
"You may depend upon it," he answered and squeezed her hand. In his other hand, he was still carrying that fateful necklace. His little gesture combined with his sincerity made her give in to a sudden whim.
"Will you... be good to me, Sir Guy?" she asked in a steadier voice.
"I will!" he answered ardently, "To both you and your father! You – " he broke off and there was a pause. "You can trust me when I say that I never wish to hurt you in any way. If I behave in a manner that displeases you, I beg you to let me know. I want to be... the man you want me to be. The husband you deserve."
His words made her startle and look up. His expression was again too close and too passionate. Her face turned down again, touched and upset at the same time. After some moments, she gave in to her next whim and asked:
"Will you hang the necklace around my neck again? As a token of your... good will."
He was still. Slowly, he released her hand and removed his gloves. Having tucked them into his belt, she saw him fumble with the necklace with his long, fine fingers. Marian suddenly thought that it might be dangerous to follow this whim – for the sake of her own composure.
She glanced up and saw the tip of his tongue quickly dart out to wet his lips. She blushed and looked down again. He stood in front of her and had sorted out the necklace, and his large but elegant hands were now steady, ready to hang it around her neck.
This time, he did not hang it from behind her back. She saw his hands nearing her, felt them lightly finding their way around her delicate neck and nimbly tie the necklace in the back. His fingers drew back along the length of the silver string and adjusted it against the hollow of her throat, all the while letting his hands touch her skin slowly and tenderly. It was her turn to wet her lips, quickly and nervously.
His hands were warm and smooth, just like the first time when he had hung the necklace on her and she had felt his long, deft fingers on her skin. Just like then, she felt a curious feeling inside her. Fear? Dread? No, that was not it. Suddenly, it was hard to breathe.
"Thank you," she whispered, staring at the hilt of his long sword. She hoped her wish had placated him, she had truly liked the necklace very much from the start. He was still so close, towering over her as he often did, and his hands were now on her shoulders, both thumbs still resting on her skin and sending goosebumps to many odd parts of her body.
"No," he said. It came out as a low, intense 'Nnnno', she could almost feel the rumble in his broad chest as he said it. "Thank you, Marian!" he said with a fervent breath against her forehead.
She stepped back, feeling her cheeks glowing. His hands came to rest at his sides and as she walked ahead to the door, she took his now gloveless hand again in a manner that she hoped seemed casual but appeasing. Holding his bare hand was very different from his gloved.
His thumbs are long. I'm holding hands with Guy of Gisborne.
Those were the only rational thoughts she managed to produce, as they walked to the door; he let her walk first, she led the way downstairs and felt as if she was dragging him along since they were connected hand in hand.
His father stood at the bottom of the stairs. He looked up at them with a serious expression. His face changed to bewilderment when he saw their joined hands. Marian looked at him beseechingly, silently begging him not to speak.
"Father – " she began, but Guy interrupted her.
"No! Let me! I – I need to ask..." his voice broke and it was his turn to look down, shy like Marian had been. She could feel him grabbing on to her hand a bit harder, searching for support. She returned the squeeze and turned her head to him, if not meeting his eyes. But he took it as the encouragement he begged for and continued.
"Sir Edward," he started again and looked earnestly at Marian's father, "I made a grave error today and behaved in a way that was intolerable. I sincerely hope you can accept my deepest apologies, despite my wrongful conduct?"
Sir Edward looked baffled and Marian had to look at Gisborne, perplexed herself by the humble way he delivered his apology.
"Wha-well..." answered Sir Edward, "I am naturally glad that you came to that conclusion, Sir Guy. Uh, and... well...."
"I will never behave so abominable again, sir, you have my word," Guy added in an intense tone. Marian wondered if what little patience he displayed was spent by now. She saw her father thinking it all over in a moment and taking the only possible route.
"Sir Guy, I forgive you," he said in his kind and dignified manner. Only Marian, who knew him so well, saw that he was uneasy.
Next to her, Guy exhaled and relaxed. "I have yet another favour to ask of you, Sir Edward," he continued, now sounding nervous but eager. He was again squeezing her hand, not too hard but begging for her approval. She squeezed back. Really, what choice did she have?
"I ask you – I ask for your permission to marry-marry Mar-your daughter, Sir Edward," he stuttered on the words and Marian could not hold back a smile, as her heart actually went out to him. The request obviously meant a lot to him.
He looked at her and saw her smile. He smiled too, his crooked smile did not come out as a smirk for once. The way he stared at her, though, made him look harassed and hook-nosed in a discouraging way. It was all nerves with this man. Her fear of him was evaporating.
"Marian?" her father asked cautiously.
"Yes, father?" she replied and turned her head to her father, dreading his questions and hoping he would save them for later. He seemed to understand her unspoken plea.
"Do you wish to marry Sir Guy, Marian?" he merely asked, still cautious in his daughter's ears.
"Yes, father," Marian said again. For the third time, she felt Guy squeezing her hand. She felt his eyes upon her, sensing that his face was quite close. She looked up and met his eyes again, this time rewarded by his expression of utter joy.
I need to be careful. He really is... quite taken by me.
She knew she was putting it lightly, but she could not bear to put the proper words to the feelings she saw in his face. Her innards were in turmoil. This marriage was not to be. His feelings were not to be acknowledged by her as such. Noted, tip-toed around, perhaps manipulated. But never to be taken into consideration or to be received.
And never ever to be returned in any way, despite... Despite the fact that he was a man with a harsh personal magnetism; a fresh contrast to his obvious handsomeness.
No such silliness, Marian. This man is not some diamond in the rough, he is a ruthless killer.
The thought sobered her and she smiled back to him easily, feeling in control again. There was only a little voice whispering in the back of her mind:
But he is capable of great feelings. Noble, deep and passionate feelings – and it is all directed to you, Marian. You bring it out; you alone...
Continued in chapter 2.