I'm sorry. I regret everything. Forgive me. I'm sorry. Undo the horrible things I have done. Please. Its all my fault. I'm sorry.
The tears wouldn't come, he couldn't rage and scream. There was only the shock... The cold shivers that wouldn't go away. And the voice that was never silenced.
He had killed her. She loved Robin Hood, and he had killed her. She had saved lives and made him feel something again, and he had killed her.
Why?
He sat with his head in his hands in the cold. He had ran away from it all, ran away from the sheriff and his poisonous words, ran away from the reality of what he had done.
Once he was alone in the woods in the middle of nowhere, with only his poor horse for company, he realised how stupid he was. He could never run from himself.
I'm so sorry.
The fog had become so thick he couldn't see his own hands, and the cold was biting. The horse was sitting with her back to him, curled up to keep warm. Slowly he got to his feet, he was unsteady after being still for so long. He unconsciously felt around until he found his saddlebag and pulled out the woolen blanket that was at least partially dry, after draping it over her back he collapsed onto the hard ground again. At least then she could have some sort of warmth, meagre as it was.
After a long time he became aware of another presence.
He couldn't see, but after a moment the voice spoke out of nowhere. It was cold and smooth, the sound carried even though it was almost a whisper.
"You got what you deserve. Nobody else can take the blame except you. You killed her." The disembodied voice went quiet all of a sudden, and Guy wondered if he had finally lost his mind.
Then all of a sudden he could see again, the white damp blanket of fog seemed to thin, though he felt no breeze.
There standing watching him was a tall thin man with a pale face and cold dark eyes. He didn't move, he just stared. He looked ghostly.
"I'm going to give you one chance. One chance to change things. It isn't my responsibility if your life changes completely, to your liking or not."
"What?" Guy croaked, it seemed like years since he had spoken last. "Am I dead?" Was this man the devil himself?
The stranger laughed, it didn't make him seem any more human. "I believe not. You're only dreaming."
Dreaming? Had he fallen asleep under the tree without realising it. Wasnt he exhausted?
"No. A bit before that I think. You've been asleep for a while now."
"How...? How did you know what I was thinking?" He didn't feel frightened, nothing could scare him when there was a hole where his heart should be.
The pale man cocked his head to the side, studying him. "I told you. This is a dream. Anything is possible. When you killed the woman, it wasn't real. But it could be very easily, unless you change it. When you wake up, you will have to try very hard to remember this dream, naturally you will want to forget..." The man stepped down from where he was standing, the horse knickered loudly and stood up, her ears flat and her eyes bulging. The stranger made a small clicking sound and the frightened horse relaxed and settled down again. She seemed to be oblivious that he was even there. The cold eyes were all of a sudden back on Guy. "That's what I'm here for."
Guy climbed to his feet, not taking his eyes off the stranger. "Who are you?"
"You can call me Fox. " The man bared his teeth in a smile. "But that's not really what you meant is it?"
Guy ignored the look he was getting, and attempted to wrap his head around the strangeness of it all."If I really am dreaming, and Marian isn't really dead... Then I could stop it from happening... Am I correct?" He didn't dare let himself believe it was possible. Not when it hurt so bad the first time she died.
"Yes... That's one way to put it. But you can't just go rushing off and completely change the fate of everyone you know, and others. You have to be discreet, don't make it obvious that you've had this dream. "
"Why?"
"lets just say..." He was no longer smiling. "That those above me wouldn't be terribly pleased if they found out that I've given you a second chance." There was a silence for some time, and then Fox raised an eyebrow expectantly at him. "Well, what are you waiting for man, aren't you going to wake up?"
"You can't expect me to wake with you staring at me like that!"
Fox scowled, for the first time since Guy had first seen him he looked human. "I know when I'm no longer wanted around. Though it would be nice if I was graced with a 'please' or 'thank you'. After all, I'm helping you save the girl which you somehow, god knows why, happened to get your sword stuck in." He pulled his hood over his face turned away.
He had the strangest feeling of falling from the sky, like he was sinking in the sea and desperately needed a breath of air. "Wait! Why are you helping me?"
Fox didn't look back at him, but when he answered there seemed to be thousands of voices echoing the words through the forest, and in Guy's head.
"I'm giving you the chance I didn't get."
He woke to hot sunshine streaming through his window.