~ii~
Thistles in Your Crown
She could swear those helmets had been fashioned straight from well buckets.
Keen eyes remaining on the man the officers were chasing from her position at the back of the group, she smirked slightly; she was growing bored of the men's pace. "C'mon Gem." She urged as she ducked her head to speak to her steed's ear.
With a neigh, the chestnut mare picked up the pace, shooting forward and soon both rider and horse were at the helm.
Pulling her bow from its place on the side of the saddle, she drew an arrow from the quiver at her back and nocked it, training its head at the man who seemed to have started running faster when hearing her steed's clambering hooves get closer; she let it fly, watching the arrow streak to stab into the hood of the man's clothing, making him trip and stumble before falling to the forest floor.
She pulled on the reins to bring her steed to a skidding halt, causing the mare to rear slightly with a whinny before righting her footing. "Lovely job, old mum." She murmured, patting the side of her neck as the mare flicked her ears and shook her head with a snort; the archer looked at the officers as they had come to a halt when she had nabbed the runaway, three having already hoisted him from the ground to then drag him to a thin tree that had a slightly-felled log next to it.
It was only a week or so since she had been given the position, and while the work environment wasn't anything short of an irritant, the pay was decent. If she could say that much, anyway.
She slightly shook her head as the officers were preparing to cut off the runaway's hand for his nearly killing a stag moments before she had run him down; to say killing venison was a crime as they were considered property of Prince John was rather silly in her eyes. Deer were subject to the land alone, not to a supposed-godsend king who was given charge of England while the king was away on Crusade… It didn't make sense to her, though she wasn't the one making laws, was she?
The familiar sound of air hitting a flying projectile pulled her from her thoughts, and the archer looked up alertly to see several arrows hit their mark on the log, framing the officer's outstretched hand. Eyes narrowing, she fastened her grip on her bow and drew an arrow from her quiver to fasten it in place.
"It appears I've missed your hand! Let him go lest my aim should improve!" The hidden archer declared blandly, his carried voice not far from them she mused, perhaps only twenty yards. It was a small distance for her steed.
The officer in charge barked back, looking about the clearing, "Show yourself, for you've interfered with the law!"
"Last I looked, the law punished poaching with a less-graver sentence; a bit of time spent in the stocks, no less." The second archer stated as he stepped into the open and approached the scene, grass-green cloaks having camouflaged him from the officers' sights, but their archer had already caught his movement from his place behind the tree he had abandoned.
"The law has changed, and therefore must be respected." The leader returned matter-of-factly as the stranger came closer.
It would only make sense for the punishment to fit the crime, a small voice in the back of her head picked, and she couldn't find it in herself to disagree; poaching wasn't such a dastardly crime like assassination or something as severe as that.
"… You do enforce the law, and my men and I suggest that you drop the case and be on your merry way." The second archer retorted before some of the brush rustled, a few trees' leaves also shaking with movement.
Taking a glance at one tree as its movement ceased, she cocked a brow, having not seen a silhouette of a man's figure in the vantage point… Her blue eyes narrowed in suspicion as they fell on the green-cloaked archer.
He certainly was crafty, despite his noble words.
"Have it your way, then. Gentlemen, as it appears we're outnumbered, let us be going back!" She suggested plainly, having lowered her tone to sound a bit more masculine, and she nodded her hooded head at the second archer before turning her mare to trot away in retreat.
She smelled a rat, and she wasn't one to let it get away so easily.
With reluctance, the officers also turned to leave and let the poacher free, who thanked them and proceeded to leave the clearing.
"'Ere, what the devil was that about?" Their leader demanded as his horse came near the mare and archer, looking annoyedly at having had a woman speak out of line.
"He's lying." She answered flatly, slowing the pace of her mare as the officer balked slightly in realization; the archer lifted her head as she pulled her horse to a stop, having faintly heard a second pair of footsteps enter the clearing where the archer stood.
"…And my master and I will make you return home with more than just your tail between your legs!" A second male voice stated proudly.
"There are only two of them!" The leader exclaimed to his men, before a whinny sounded from the chestnut mare as their archer doubled back to the clearing at a gallop.
Both men were already running when she caught up to them, and her nocked arrow was sent flying, narrowly missing the head of the green-cloaked archer.
Noticing the tree she was fast approaching, she yanked on the reins and pulled her mare to a halt, causing the horse to neigh in protest and slightly rear.
Dropping back onto all fours, the mare huffed in annoyance at having been run hard within a short distance, and the archer scowled past her at the brush the two men had disappeared into; the others ran ahead only to come up empty-handed, leaving her to deduce that their prey had somehow made themselves scarce.
The archer exhaled through her nostrils and gently patted her mare's neck with murmured praise, returning her bow to its place on the side of her saddle.
Looking about the wood for any sign of their prey and finding none as the officers then retreated, she approached the tree only to slash at the bark with one of her knives' blades, nudging her mare's ribs to gallop after the others in the same direction.
She was certainly not finished with the hunt.
"The men are speaking of your slip-up earlier today." He commented bemusedly, approaching her as she was tending to her mare, nearing her left side as the mare's rider was brushing out her mane. "Mockingly, mind you." He added, looking on the woman.
She puffed out a bit of air and continued brushing, seeing her mare's ears flick. "Whatever news you're looking for is nothing short of droll, I assure you." Couldn't relax for a second when he was hovering about, could she? "I had thought you returned to Nottingham." She added, not looking at his gaze that seemed to dig into her skull; she knew what he wanted to hear but she wasn't giving it just yet… Might not even give it at all if he kept at it.
"I don't return to Nottingham for another few days… Also, your sight is best between the men and yourself, and my curiosity is piqued." He stated coolly, distinctly seeing her brow give a twitch despite the locks of black partially shielding the sight from his blue eyes.
Pausing in her brushing, the archer mentally cursed him for being a near-literal thorn in her side; she looked up at the man, her lighter blue stare meeting his expectant gaze with silent defiance behind her blank mask. "As lovely as your compliment is, Sir, my mare is, currently, more important than your curiosity. I'm sure it would be more amusing to hear the tale from your officers who obviously couldn't catch a cold if they damn-well tried." While the man was at least taller than her by a head, she still dug her heels in and silently challenged him, arching a brow when noticing the expectancy in his stare diminish to be replaced with the familiar irritation she enjoyed to see.
He could woo any woman he wanted, but she was neither 'any woman' nor one to be victim to his infamous glower.
"If you recall that it was I who approved that you have the job you were given, you are subject to give a report, not toy with me as if I am a peasant's son." Guy snapped, his tone brittle, as his blue stare tightened.
"I do not report to you directly, milord, I report to the Sheriff. I only report to you if you are the one ordering me about… And at the moment, you are not." Ella bit back in a likewise-brittle tone with her piercing glare locked on his glower as she stood her full height. "If you will excuse me, I am in the middle of something. Good evening, Sir Guy." She added stiffly, turning on him to see to a bag of feed for her mare.
The black-clad man let his glower remain on her back for another several moments before he turned to leave the small stable with his gloved hands fisted at his sides.
Gem nickered as the archer fed her a handful of hay, her ears flicking absently as the woman stroked her muzzle gently.
Giving a soft exhale as her shoulders rose and fell, the archer kissed her snout gently, smiling wryly at her steed's warm brown eyes. "Not all men are nice, are they, girl?" She murmured, earning a quiet nicker. She lifted the bag of feed and fastened it behind the horse's ears, allowing her to have her dinner.
Patting her shoulder gently before exiting her stall, the archer made her way to the sleeping quarters in silence.
Pity had found a place in her heart as she had taken note of the poor folk loitering around the small ravine entering Nottingham, and the archer kept her head down as she rode alongside her employer. If there was not enough poverty exhibited in London, then there was enough here in Nottingham… It was not her place to fret about them, though. She had to keep remembering that.
"Try and wipe that mucked-up look off your face. The nobles will be here within a few hours." The lord advised as they had given their horses to the stable hands and were entering the hall, earning a look from her.
The archer's brow rose, noting he seemed to have let their little spat the night prior slide for the meantime. "Since when do you care for the nobles?" She wondered, brushing some strands of black from her sight.
"I have always cared." He scoffed at her question, brushing it off as a silly thought.
Keeping her curious expression, Ella paused as they ascended the stone steps to the Sheriff's office. "The reputed-tyrannical Guy of Gisborne actually caring about a band of simple country nobles is as much of an oddity as the thought of flying swine." She snorted slightly in amusement at the irony of the conversation, glancing away.
"You think I'm lying, then." Guy also arched a brow, folding his arms at his chest, wondering as he had been since she had arrived in Nottingham if she truly was the competent hand they had aspired for.
"No, I believe you. I just don't think it's possible for you to care about the state of a meeting that doesn't entirely concern you in one way or another." Ella stated, turning to ascend the stairs with a shake of her head.
His brow twitched and Guy followed until they were side-by-side again. "Neither does it concern you, for last I looked you were still considered a foreigner."
"Last I looked, you were still a tosspot." Ella muttered under her breath as she jogged the small bit of distance to the office, ignoring the dagger-filled glare shot at her from her companion. She knocked once on the door and was bid to enter, opening it and allowing Guy to close it behind them, finding the Sheriff reclined in his chair with his boots being spiffed up by one of the servant girls. "Sheriff." She greeted first, giving a slight bow at the waist.
"Ah, my dear Ella. What news have you for me?" The Sheriff greeted as she straightened, gesturing with a hand that she proceed to speak. He was a balding man donned in dark garb like she and Guy, and most of the time she had been required to be in his presence, he had a look of derision on his stubble-ridden face as if there were a secret joke he was in on and noone in the room knew of.
"We arrested a poacher in the nearby forest, trying to nab one of the king's stags. Not only is he a compulsive liar but he might also be in alliance with another man we came across in the same instance… The second man fled before I could pin him with an arrow." She reported plainly, distinctly feeling a glare digging into her back from the second man in the room. She chose to ignore it, knowing he would seek to have a word with her at a later time.
The Sheriff nodded his head once her words processed, smiling wryly. "I can tell you weren't too pleased with that, were you?" He could tell the loss of the supposed cohort had left her ruffled.
"I assure you, sir, I will stick an arrow in him should we meet again." The archer promised, succeeding in hiding the disgruntlement in her calm voice.
"Good girl. Do you have anything to add, Guy?" He nodded his approval, looking on his second-in-command with some measure of hope.
Exhaling through his nostrils, Guy stepped forward as the woman stepped away and to the side, addressing his employer. "It turns out the same man the Raven spoke of that slipped away is coincidentally Sir Robin of Locksley who has returned from the Crusade, sir. Seems he's a man returned with a weaker sense of reality, as he proceeded to show nothing but arrogance and the naïveté of a child when we met properly yesterday." A hard scowl began to show on his handsome face as he added bitingly, "Before that, he chose to disrespect myself and my men by reinstating himself as the Lord of Locksley." A disbelieving look crossed his face as the Sheriff's face split into an amused smile and he started laughing. "I do not see the humor in this, milord." He defended, shooting a glare at the archer.
Ella only rolled her eyes at the Sheriff's amusement, crossing her arms at her chest, as she met his piercing stare and silently assured that they would speak later as their stares held.
The men who returned from the Crusades were most likely not in their right mind when they returned, that she knew; to say Sir Robin's mental state was a bit warped wasn't far from the truth.
"You're both dismissed." Both Guy and Ella gave a slight nod before leaving the office in silence, and for the Sheriff to chuckle at their demise.
"It appears I wasn't the only one to slip up yesterday." The archer mused aloud once they were in the halls, clasping her hands at her back.
The lord shot another dagger-filled glare at her. "Don't go rubbing it in! It was your fault in the first damn place, not catching him." He snapped.
She pretended her brow didn't twitch. "And unlike you with your wounded pride, I can shake it off and continue living. It's a habit I would highly recommend to one like you." She said cheekily, glancing up at him out of the corner of her eye to see he was glaring forward.
"That a fact? And just what was that comment about, earlier; 'I will put an arrow in him should we meet again'? Your pride also took a fall." A smug smirk crossed his features as he noticed her cheeky expression falter.
Puffing a bit of air, the archer closed her eyes as her face was schooled into neutrality. "Seems we've reached an impasse…" Her right hand lifted to slug his shoulder hard, causing his smirk to falter and a glare to form, and she added dryly, "That does not mean you should underestimate me, Guy of Gisborne. When I said I would return the favor, I meant it." She looked up at him with a hard glare on her brow and an unfamiliar look in her eyes.
Guy held her hardened stare and accepted the tenacity she exhibited; he looked forward again with a huff. "Should make for an amusing sight."
Ella glared after him and followed with a scoff under her breath.
There was a grim taste to the air of the next morning, polluting the courtyard's air as most if not all the villagers were congregated to witness the quadruple-hanging event… Though with a hanging, she imagined the air was expected to be filled with grimness and tension.
Leaning out of the window of the hall as the doors opened for the Sheriff and his entourage to appear before the people, Ella sat on the sill with a whetstone and one of her favored knives on hand, having been polishing them since early. She had been glad for her quarters given with her taking of the job, and had taken advantage of getting enough sleep before rising with dawn's first light.
Lowering the stone, she looked at the man she had failed to hit in the forest as he was required to read the decree given by the Sheriff, noting his short hair and blue eyes along with the subtle hints that he had been in the Crusades. If he hadn't crossed her, she would've felt some measure of pity on him… But alas, no. Her eyes lifted to take note of the four unfortunate souls due to hang shortly, and some part of her was surprised to see three out of four of them were only boys, just shy of her age of twenty-five by five years or so.
Hanging was the punishment for theft? Since when was that considered just…?
"…I came last night to administer their last rights!" A man cloaked in navy stirred her attention to the crowd, and the archer looked at the man who'd spoken aloud with a raised brow. "And each of them accepted God through me, and were indicted into the Cloth! I sought the advice of the Bishop and he said they were recognized even though they are novices!" She could hear the desperation in his voice and judging by the nervous look in his eye, it didn't take long to see he was trying to stall or possibly save the lads.
Stealing a look at Sir Robin again, Ella inwardly snorted; no doubt he was pulling the strings.
She lowered her gaze and tossed the stone between one hand and the other as the drumroll sounded before the men were hanged, the crowd exclaiming and gasping in shock at the result; she would've closed her eyes had she not heard a commotion ensue from next to her, looking with slight surprise to see Sir Robin had confiscated one of the guards' bow and four arrows, proceeding to cut the four men down so they were free of the rope.
Drawing one of her longer knives from the confines of her right boot, she dropped onto the stair to intervene and make due on her word as Robin knocked back four or five of the guards when a gloved hand grabbed her by the arm and stopped her in mid-run. Glaring at the owner, Ella met the hardened blue stare of Guy as his grip tightened and he pulled her back. Both sets of blue eyes clashed with irritation before they looked at hearing a cry of help from the high wall to see Robin chuck the nicked sword up at the two guards above.
Ella made to yank her arm free of his grip but it remained as she watched another guard make to shoot Robin at point-blank before a thin knife streaked to throw the man off course and knock him back; raising a brow, her eyes lingered on the oddly-shiny knife that had been stuck in the guard's side to see it resembled a hair pin. Looking at the only other woman present, Marian daughter of the former Sheriff, she watched her turn away with only one hair pin present in her brown hair kept back… Her eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion, and she looked at the courtyard as Robin and his companions fled with the rest of the guards tailing them at top speed. She scoffed. "Well that was lovely." She muttered, yanking free of Guy's grip.
"No doubt they'll be returning to Locksley, permanently." Guy mused blandly, as miffed as the archer was over the morning's events, smirking ruefully.
That would only mean patrols would be doubled, if she had to wager… Sounded just bloody-well grand.
an: so that was a riveting first chap, wasn't it? hope you guys liked it! and a s/o to aliena wyvern for the first fav/follow on this! thanks wyvern, that means a lot (: also i've come to the realization that i got into this series solely bc of our favorite Guy of Gisborne.. ah well. and another note, i just made a promo edit of this and posted it on tumblr. feel free to check it out, the link's on my profile... i think that's all, so feel free to let me know if i did well on this. thanks, and later!
