Of Dancing Flames and Feline Smiles
1.
As the sun was setting over Nottingham, Robin Hood ran as fast as he could through Sherwood Forest followed very closely on horseback by Sir Guy of Gisborne.
"This is it Hood!" Guy bellowed "You've foiled one scheme too many!"
Robin and his men had released a group of peasants meant to be sold to an important acquaintance of the Sheriff, not that Guy really cared about this. It was the fact his neck was now on the line for the mishap that had riled him, Hood was as good as dead. However, in his haste he had not noticed the line of rope tied across the very path he was beating down on until both he and his horse were no longer upright but tumbling to the ground.
Guy awoke in the now dark forest, the dull ache that was beginning to work its way over the length of his body was a tell tale sign that his horse had landed on him. He swore to himself, Robin was long gone, a mere ghost that had disappeared amongst the trees. He attempted to stand despite his agony and swore again as he collapsed back to the ground breathlessly. Through blurred vision he could just make out a figure approaching him.
"Hood," he thought to himself as flashes of pain struck his head with force, impairing his vision and antagonising him more "he's come to finish me off at last."
Guy summoned up the strength to hold out his sword in defence, he wanted to die but he wasn't going to give that cretin the satisfaction of killing him without a fight. His head was throbbing unbearably now along with the rest of his body and his vision virtually nonexistent, "Hood is going to pay dearly for this." He said to himself as the figure drew closer; but it was to Guy's surprise that when the figure spoke it was not the voice of the man he had come to loathe that he heard through the darkness.
"Put your sword down my Lord," the female voice said harshly, within moments of this Guy of Gisborne gave up both his sword and his battle for consciousness.
oOoOoOo
The woman carefully fingered the card she had just picked up from the tarot deck – "The Emperor" – it was one of her favourites, no matter how you looked at it "The Emperor" meant leadership, authority and absolute power. She had spent many a night longing for those meanings to ring true for her and she would be damned if she was going to leave this earth having not made them happen. She looked around the cave she had been using for shelter since her escape 3 weeks ago; it was dark, damp and fusty. She despised it.
"This is wrong," she said to herself with a mixture of sadness and contempt "this is not what I was destined for, it is beneath me."
Her thoughts were interrupted by the man she had rescued stirring; it had not been easy getting him to the cave as his size and weight dwarfed her petite frame and she had spent much of the time dragging the man by his ankles and cursing the both of them. The woman carefully put away the tarot cards and began to make her way over to the dazed stranger laid out next to the fire.
"Whaa—where am I?" Guy slurred, he was still feeling dizzy from the fall, but almost mercifully the pain was beginning to subside. He had no idea how he got to this place, he had most certainly not walked there that was for sure. Gradually he began to remember; the fall, the pain and the voice that had spoke to him through the darkness. He looked up to see a woman of similar age to him approaching; she definitely wasn't a peasant, her vivid blonde hair tied back in an intricate braid and her figure slyly exposed by the leather corset bound around her long black gown.
"Hush, lay back down" the woman said kneeling and laying a hand on Guy's chest as he tried to sit up, her voice was like silk he noted. "You've taken quite a fall but you're in good hands and fortunately nothing is broken; you just have a few bruised ribs and a nasty knock to the head." Guy ignored this and grabbed the woman by the throat.
"Who are you?" He growled, his injuries simply added to his embarrassment of losing track of Robin and he was not in the mood for mystery and niceties. His grip tightened as the woman struggled for air.
"Una, my name is Una" she gasped, Guy's grip began to loosen but she still had to do something before she blacked out.
"How di-" Guy's interrogation was halted by a cloud of dust flying into his eyes, he released his grip on Una immediately as his eyes began to stream and sting intolerably. When he had finally managed to blink away the tears and dust he found that Una was holding a small dagger to his throat.
"Where did you get that from?" he said with a smirk despite the threat to his life, truth be told he was rather impressed at the woman's agility.
"Now what fun would there be in telling you? I like to keep a man guessing" she teased, "that way things never get boring." Her emphasis on the word 'never' gave Guy shivers that ran right through his body; this was a woman who knew how to use her sexuality and was very good at it. With her free hand Una gently pushed Guy back onto the floor by the fire while still pointing the dagger at his throat with the other. "So," she began, moving her face closer to Guy's to the point that only a thin film of air was stopping their lips from touching "are we going to play nicely or am I going to have to undo all my hard work and kill you because you can't learn to be grateful?"
The slight movement of Guy's head and the steely look in his eyes told Una that the man was going to behave himself; she removed the dagger from his throat, stood up and walked over to a large pot standing over the fire. Guy let out a deep sigh of relief and propped himself up against the wall, he winced with the movement as Una brought over two bowls of steaming broth and handed one to him before settling herself down by his side. After a long silence it was Gisborne who spoke;
"Thank you" he murmured, "and I would also like to apologise for my behaviour earlier, I would have surely died if it wasn't for you." Guy looked at the floor as he spoke, even as a child he had always hated admitting he was wrong.
"Think nothing of it; you can never be too careful these days." Una said as she nonchalantly waved away the attack. "Forgive me, but you have not told me your name and since I was forced to give you mine it seems only proper that I should know yours." Una flashed Guy a smile that distinctly reminded him of cat, he couldn't help but return it.
"My name is Sir Guy of Gisborne, the Sheriff of Nottingham's master at arms."
"Well Sir Guy of Gisborne," The reflection of the fire's flames danced in Una's eyes as his name rolled from her tongue and Guy felt the shiver run the length of his body once again, "allow me to properly introduce myself; I am the Lady Una of Oxfordshire."
In one fluid motion she held out her hand which Guy took in his own and kissed. The feline grin returned.
Ok, so that's chapter one over and done with. Hope it's not been too boring, it's quite difficult introducing a new character and i apologise for the lack of speech from Guy, I figured that if he'd had a horse fall on him he wouldn't really be talking much. More chapters soon! :D