Disclaimer:Robin Hood 2006 belongs to BBC and Tiger Aspect. I owe nothing, no money being made, no copyright infringement intended. The characters belong to legend.
NIGHTWATCH
That snowy night in Nottingham, The Nightwatchman thought her his heart was going to stop. Sneaking around a corner, the Nightwatchman was suddenly right in front of Sir Guy of Gisborne. Sir Guy of Gisborne stood there with his sword in hand and with an odd, blank look in his eyes that did not really focus on the Nightwatchman.
The Nightwatchman was rooted on the spot, bewildered and scared but curious. Sir Guy did not move and even if the sword was in his hand, he made no flourish with it. He looked strangely vacant. "Robin Hood," he mumbled.
The Nightwatchman looked down on her his apparel. It was dark, but the lights from the houses was enough to reveal that Sir Guy was not standing in front of Robin Hood. The Nightwatchman was quite miffed. "Sir Guy!" the Nightwatchman hissed.
"Huh...!" was all Sir Guy said without any interest.
The Nightwatchman took a step forward and waved her his hand in front of Sir Guy's eyes. No reaction.
"Sleepwalking..." the Nightwatchman whispered.
"Marian?" said Sir Guy said with a sheepish smile and looked a little less vacant, raising his sword in a more suggestive than threatening way.
The Nightwatchman was uneasy all the same and decided to get Sir Guy home. Trying to make Sir Guy turn around did not work and steps in the newly fallen snow was a problem. The Nightwatchman put Sir Guy's sword in its sheet, hooked arms with him and managed to make them both walk back to where Sir Guy had come out a few moments earlier.
"Marian..." Sir Guy whispered again, "Beware of the Nightwatchman, Marian..."
The Nightwatchman did not answer but was busy walking with Sir Guy. There was a door leading to a flight of winding stairs, Guy had walked out there. Just inside was a bench where the Nightwatchman managed to place Sir Guy. His eyes were glazed again. Did the man never blink?
Just as the Nightwatchman was about to go, Sir Guy grabbed hold of her him and as the Nightwatchman landed in Sir Guy's knee, Sir Guy kissed the Nightwatchman – well, tried to kiss the Nightwatchman. "Open your mouth, Marian..." he rumbled and grabbed the Nightwatchman harder.
The cloth over the Nightwatchman's mouth slipped down and warm lips met warm lips in the chilly, snowy night. The Nightwatchman sat stuck on Sir Guy's long, manly thighs, embraced by Sir Guy's strong, leather-clad arms and got soundly kissed in a way that made the thrilled Nightwatchman slide his her arms around Sir Guy's neck and respond passionately. When Sir Guy murmured and excitedly started to grope the Nightwatchman where the Nightwatchman was not supposed to be quite so curvy, the Nightwatchman quickly slid out of the embrace and ran. Sir Guy slumped back with a disappointed grunt and started to snore.
~*~
"Right, Giz," said Allan and looked seriously on a shamefaced Guy who had been led to his chamber by Allan. "What would the sheriff say if he knew about this sleepwalking habit of yours?"
"I – " Guy started but swallowed. He sat in front of the roaring fire, tucked in several blankets. "I cannot help it," he rumbled. "Sometimes I just wake up in... odd places!"
"Outside of Lady Marian's chambers, you mean," Allan mumbled.
"I just have such – strange – dreams – sometimes..." Guy exclaimed, his face burning.
"Yeah, yeah, you've said so before!" Allan cried and put his hands up defensively. "Please don't repeat your funny fantasies, Giz!"
"How come I always sleepwalk when there are reports of the Nightwatchman being active, Allan!?" Guy argued. "Why do I always sleepwalk those nights? And why do I always go to Marian's door – except for this night, when you found me at the small exit leading out of the castle – how DID you find me there, by the way!?"
"I TOLD you mate – I saw your footsteps in the snow!" Allan could not tell him how the Nightwatchman had alerted him about Guy's predicament.
"But why was there two sets of footsteps? Back and forth and – "
"GUY! Leave it, dammit! We've been over this more times than I can count!" Allan yelled. "D'you know what you need, Giz? You need a bed fellow!"
Guy blushed to his roots and shook his head. "I want Marian!" he growled obstinately.
"You have to let me take care of this, Guy!" Allan argued and took hold of Guy's shoulders.
"YOU!?" Guy cried and stared into Allan's eyes. "But surely..."
"You gotta trust me on this one, Giz..." Allan smiled mischievously.
~*~
"AAAAWWWW!" Marian mewled. "How lovely..." she said and allowed herself to be lavished by a wet, eager tongue.
"Yeah," said Allan, "I knew this was a good idea of mine! But save some for Guy as well – he's the one suffering every night!"
"Surely, Guy..." Marian purred, cradling sweetness in her arms. "You do not mind me loving this delightful little creature?"
Guy smiled bemusedly, adoring the way Marian enjoyed herself. "Not at all, Marian... But as Allan said: save some of it for me..." he rumbled and met her eyes.
Marian felt herself going hot all over and pushed away from the small beast with the eager, pink tongue.
"But really, Guy," she said and handed the beautiful Labrador puppy back to Sir Guy. He took it in his large, capable hands and cradled it to his broad chest where the dog's silky blackness against Sir Guy's shiny black leather made Marian want to go mawkish once more. She collected herself.
"Really," she begun again. "You should have gotten yourself a puppy years ago! How come Allan managed to prompt you into this now?"
"He told you, I'm sure – I need a guardian at night."
"Hm..." Marian said, her eyes twinkling. "What will you call her?"
"Night – ! Uh – " Guy said with embarrassment.
"Knight? With a K? I thought it was a girl?" Marian said with raised eyebrows.
"Not Knight, just Night since she's black. How about Lady Night?"
"Lady's Night?" Allan chuckled.
Guy and Marian laughed, despite themselves and Lady Night licked her master's hand affectionately.
~*~
"Nightwatchman!" Guy hissed.
The Nightwatchman felt that danger was breathing down her his neck far too much these days. Nearly any given night on mission was interrupted by Sir Guy, who looked a lot more awake lately. But not tonight. This night the Nightwatchman met Sir Guy in his sleeping state. He stood there, forlorn with a dog leash in his hand, outside the same door where he had been dropped off a few nights before. Behind that door, yelps could be heard.
The Nightwatchman managed to get Sir Guy inside the door while he hissed "Nightwatchman!" and his Labrador puppy danced around their legs. When Guy was sitting on the bench, the puppy got playful and sniffed around the Nightwatchman with excitement. The Nightwatchman found a bone that the puppy had been playing with and gave it to the dog. Meanwhile, Sir Guy slid down and landed on his back. "Nightwatchman...!" he whispered again, smilingly.
The Nightwatchman took this as an invite, pulled down the mouth cloth, lay down astride of Sir Guy, kissed him and was kissed back with great ardour. Sir Guy held on to the Nightwatchman tightly and somehow they managed to not fall off the bench. When Sir Guy grabbed the Nightwatchman arse and the Nightwatchman did not protest, Allan's voice was suddenly heard:
"Giz!?" he called from the top of the winding stairs.
The puppy yelped happily but the Nightwatchman wrung out of Guy's arms while he moaned "Marian!" and grabbed after her. A diversion was needed...
Allan reached the bottom of the stairs, finding his master asleep on the bench with his puppy dog licking his face while Guy begged "More, Marian, more..."
~*~
"Right, pup and Giz!" Allan admonished and both pup and Giz looked admonished. "You have to do better!" Allan added. "Pup, you must wake Giz up properly! And Giz, you HAVE to stop reading romance stories before bed!"
Both pup and Guy looked down. "Yes, Allan," Guy agreed and hugged his dog.
~*~
"NIGHTWATCHMAN!" Guy roared into the night.
The Nightwatchman had the Nightwatchman heart in the the Nightwatchman throat. This time, the Nightwatchman was done for.
Trapped in the dark corner, the backwards footsteps had not helped at all. Suddenly, Sir Guy's Labrador was there, dancing happily around the Nightwatchman's feet.
"Hush, Night! Hush!" the Nightwatchman whispered.
"NIGHTWATCHMAN!" Guy roared again and the puppy yelped happily. Guy was getting close. The Nightwatchman grabbed the small dog and produced the Nightwatchman dagger; not ever intending to harm the dog, of course, but as a precaution.
"NIGHTWATCHMAN, WHERE ARE YOU!" Guy roared and the puppy yelped revealingly.
Guy came around the corner and saw the dog's eyes in the dark.
"Ah, thank God!" he said happily, "There you are, Nightwatchman! You – " then he saw who held his puppy.
The Nightwatchman stood there baffled with the dog in the Nightwatchman arms.
"Oh..." said Guy, clearly embarrassed. "Now don't you get any ideas, uhm, Nightwatchman, just because I named my dog after you... I just..."
The Nightwatchman put away the dagger and quickly placed the puppy in Guy's arms, and he received it with surprise. As he tried to calm down the wriggling puppy-Nightwatchman, the human-Nightwatchman pulled down the cloth over the mouth. The Nightwatchman cried "AAAAAAWWW!" and gave Sir Guy a wet and firm kiss square on his astonished lips, before the very human Nightwatchman ran into the dark shadows of the night.
~fin~