It was a Monday, and as per the usual for Monday I found myself walking the long halls and corridors of the castle, cleaning rooms and taking the bed sheets away to be washed as always needed to be done. The usual was for it to be a mass panic, having to rush in and out before the lords and ladies return to preen for their evening meals. It wasn't worth your life to leave a speck of dust or god forbid still be cleaning when they arrive.
So there I was running down the sand stone floors, causing the patter of bare feet on the cold floor that signalled to everybody else that the court was still in order and the world was still turning. I'd opened the first door on whichever floor I'd been assigned, this was in all honesty the norm. Not a single dignitary was ever seen in their room after a certain time. I dropped a bucket beside the door and span back around to grab the sheets from the bed and there he was.
My eyes moved upwards from the floor and at the same time my cheeks flushed red. They covered two legging clad legs up towards the bare expanse of dark-skinned chest with a beautiful scattering of dark curls the invited you in. I admit, my eyes linger too long so that by the time they'd creeped up to his face the two intense blue eyes were glowering at me. Guy of Gisborne, just stood there half-naked and I was frozen dead to the world.
I screamed at my legs to shuffle out of the room and they did nothing so I just stared, and finally noticed the vague redness around his eyes, the little notation that said he'd been alone up here. That explained why he was up here, I noted, he would still be brooding over the Lady Marian.
"Um- I'm sorry my lord, please excuse me" I didn't know if it had been a second or an hour but I finally managed to stutter the words out, shuffling to grab my bucket and leave before the dull tones of his voice came from behind me.
"Ah, don't worry, do what you need to." he stumbled over his words, deftly picking up a shirt and pulling it over himself. I had to stop myself, as I turned, from admiring his body a little more. In the court there wasn't all that many men whom had a form that compared to his and so many fewer men that I would ever be allowed to see in this state, so I did savour it somewhat.
He watched wordlessly for a little while as I took the sheets from the bed and piled them into one of the buckets. I knew it wasn't working as fast now that I was in his presence, it just wasn't polite to run around when someone else was around so I had to hold the same slow pace I did in most of the corridors. I was just setting down a new sheet on his bed as he darted around to the other side , pulling it taut and starting to tuck it under. My eyes flicked up in shock.
"Oh, you don't have to-" I began, ready to jump and take over what he was doing before he cut me off with a raised hand and a mild smile in my direction.
"No, I want to." his voice wasn't cold, or harsh as most of their voices were, he didn't have it left in him to act the part so it was flecked with subtle sadness. I didn't question him, if he wanted to help it wasn't mine to object and it was nice, they never usually thought to even offer.
"I'm sorry" he uttered, half a minute later as we finished pulling the sheet down, he'd done a good job actually with those thin dexterous hands. "I shouldn't have scared you" he finally pulled himself up, looking quite proud of his smooth sheet.
"No, I should have knocked first Sir" I smiled softly at him, glancing around for a minute to check for anything I may have forgotten before I left.
"You're rushed enough as I understand it." for the first time his eyes seemed to look at me, actually noticing I was a human being and looking at me. I suppose that sounds awful but most of them will look at you like you look at a table, like a tool and with no empathy or kindness.
"You shouldn't have to deal with all the trouble they give you." Guy rested himself on a table and gave the obvious impression that he'd rather I didn't leave. I assumed that if someone wanted to report me for missing work that I'd been with him, he certainly out ranked any of my employers by a long run.
"Not much of a choice in the matter Sir." I replied, deciding that I would happily stay for as long as he wanted the company, after all he did look so alone and ever so slightly broken. It would have been cruel to leave him if he desired to have someone.
His eyebrow twitched up towards, stretching the few lines his face bore into a smooth face of skin. "Nobody should be expected to be paid tuppence to run down corridors." he paused before adding "No matter how much time they spend in court"
"Nearly everybody else who spends as much time as you would disagree with that." my lip quirked, it was almost like he actually cared some about me. "and besides, I'd rather deal with that than actually be in court." I shuddered, and although it was put on the sentiment was real. I could see it in his eyes, he was a gentle soul, he didn't belong with the liars, cheats and murders who played in the court, he belonged with a beautiful woman and children.
Guy's eyes caught the floor for a moment as he smiled to himself, returning from his own private joke I'd supposed he approached. I'd assumed he would stop once he was one or two paces closer but he didn't, he stopped barely half a pace away from me. Gingerly his hand rose, slowly as if to measure my reaction which was as most servant girls, to wince. That again I suppose sounds stupid but, from a man of court to a serving girl a raised hand only ever means a slap and once you've suffered one or two for speaking out of line, you'd wince too.
"No, you're nothing like the women at court are you?" His hand rose slightly faster, but it wasn't going to be a slap, it simply caressed my cheek, bringing a deep red blush to the skin where he touched in contrast to the usual sharp contacts.
My breathing was rebelling against me, and I knew he would know as I chewed my bottom lip. "You still know how to feel don't you?" he whispered after a moment, painfully close to me. I could feel his breath against my skin, warm and light, not that I needed it, the way his words cut the silence was enough to make me legs wobble. I shouldn't want him, he certainly wouldn't want me even if he was brooding over his maid as usual. I wasn't even on his page, if the ladies knew he was even alone I expect they'd be queues outside his chamber.
In response I nodded, it was just about all I could gather together in the state of things, still half expecting for his rough fingertips to retreat and apply the less than tender touch I'd expected. It was probably all a game, tease me to see if I would bite while he waited for someone to come looking for me and then it would be to the dungeons. I scolded myself mentally, if I'd only just been more cold, I'd have been out of here now back on my duties and whatever they would do to me would be a lesser punishment. I'd made him into a noble man in my head because it had suited my wandering eye at the time, and I was a fool with a fools heart I decided, refusing to believe the mutter in the back of my head.
He looked up, his own blue fire-like eyes burning intently into mine, as if searching for the truth. For just a moment in his I saw the smallest spark of darkness, sadness and despair.
"Would you mind reminding me" Guy breathed, his lips already crossing that half-pace between us.