Chapter Two

The morning ride into which Marian had tricked him hadn't stayed the only one. Before Guy knew it, a week had passed and, looking back on it now, he found that not a day had gone by without the two of them riding out together.

Somehow he had managed to avoid the Sheriff in the early mornings and had, each day, instead met Marian at the stables. Their horses had been ready and they'd quickly left the castle to spend half an hour on horseback, sometimes talking, sometimes simply enjoying the crisp morning air in companionable silence.

Guy had taken great pleasure in this part of each day. Marian had been… he wasn't able to put it into words. But ever since he had discovered her secret identity as the Nightwatchman and had spared her the hanging, she appeared to be more open and unguarded towards him. It seemed to Guy almost as if the reserve Marian had always shown him had rooted entirely in fear of her detection. And now those roots had been cut. Guy knew her secret and therefore Marian seemed to feel no need to distance herself anymore.

She behaved friendly, almost carefree, towards him. And she'd made good on her promise. Each day she had found new ways to make him smile.

Even now, walking along the glum castle's corridors and just thinking about her, Guy could feel the corners of his mouth lift up. And that despite the less than pleasurable talk he'd just had with the Sheriff.

Vaisey had been in an extremely bad mood today (due to Prince John's plans – and his own – not taking fruit, again) and he'd let it out on Guy. The Sheriff had ranted and raved and then he'd become suddenly very calm. Those were the times you had to fear him the most, Guy had long since learned that.

Vaisey had informed Guy that he was quickly losing patience with Guy's 'mooning over the leper', as he'd put it. He'd calmly stated that the Lady Marian, now that her father was rotting in the ground, obviously needed someone else to fuss about, like she was currently doing with Guy. At first Guy had been pleased to hear that someone else had noticed their newfound closeness, even if it was the Sheriff. If others saw Marian's friendliness, it had to be real, right?

But Guy's mood had quickly changed when the Sheriff had gone on:

'That woman is clearly bored to death if she's willing to spend time with you. She needs an occupation. She needs to be wed and with child, so that she'll be out from under our feet, huh, Gisborne?'

When Guy hadn't replied at once Vaisey had gone on: 'Tell me you have at least tried, Gisborne. Tell me you've bedded her.'

Guy had only shaken his head, too stunned to answer. Why was the Sheriff suddenly so determined to get Marian wed and out of the castle? What was he planning?

The Sheriff had sighed dramatically and had put an arm around Guy's shoulder. 'Well then, Gisborne, you leave me no option. I need to get that leper away from here.'

'What's the rush, my Lord?' Guy had managed to sound calm.

'The rush is…' Vaisey had squeezed his shoulder and then had pushed him away suddenly, only to start screaming: 'I can't stand the sight of her. So since you are obviously not capable of bedding her and getting her with child, I will have to find her someone who will. And soon.'

'You can't…' Guy had protested but the Sheriff had cut him off.

'If you want her, take her. You have one week, Gisborne. After that I will give her to the highest bidder.' He'd dismissed Guy with a wave of his hand and had strode towards the door. There he'd thrown over his shoulder: 'Too bad that you killed Winchester. He would have taken her off me in a heartbeat. But I will find someone else. I give you one week to at least bed her!'

Guy had been left standing there, furious and disgusted with the man, like so often before, and also disgusted with himself for staying by his side. Like so often before.

Market day in Nottingham had seen better days in former, more prosperous, years. Now only a handful of stalls were strewn around the dusty streets and no more than twenty people were looking at the presented goods. These days only few could afford to buy what was on offer.

Marian picked the right amount of coins from her purse and handed them to the woman behind the stall. In return she took the small basket, held it up to her face and inhaled the enticing smell of her purchased goods.

"Delicious," she murmured and, with a secretive smile, turned towards the guard shadowing her every move. "Not a word to Sir Guy about this, you understand?"

The guard simply nodded. He didn't care one way or another. All he cared about was his duty, namely getting the Lady Marian safely back into the castle after she'd finished her trip to the market. Preferably without a repeat of yesterday's incident, when Lady Marian had suddenly slipped away from her guard (thankfully not him personally) and had later been spotted, by yet another guard, in a small alley talking to a man that closely resembled Robin Hood.

Although reinforcements had immediately been called the outlaw had somehow managed to escape and Lady Marian had later denied any contact with him in the first place. And Sir Guy hadn't pressed her any further; he hadn't even told the Sheriff about it. Still, the guard could do without a repeat performance of the scolding the others had received.

So he vowed he would simply let Lady Marian buy whatever she'd come to the market to buy and he wouldn't take his eyes off her. He would escort her safely back to the castle and then she'd be off his hands.

Marian meanwhile strolled to the next stall but her eyes were no longer on the goods. She'd gotten what she'd come for and now her mind started to wander to the moment the day before, when a warm hand had suddenly grabbed hers, had pulled her away from the bustling crowd into an alley and she'd been confronted with seeing Robin for the first time since…

Since things had started to change between her and Guy a week ago.

Marian could barely believe that it had only been a week. So much had happened… she'd spent so much time with Guy that she'd gradually begun to view him with different eyes. She'd begun to enjoy his company. Their morning rides had become her favourite time of the day.

But she couldn't tell Robin any of this, could she? No, he would not like it.

So Marian had decided not to say anything.

But she feared that Robin had noticed something was amiss. He had tried to kiss her, there in that alley, and after two seconds Marian had suddenly pulled away. She'd murmured something like 'Not here, too dangerous, the guards, if anyone sees us…' and it had all been true. But the real problem had been that those hadn't been the only reasons to avoid Robin's advances.

Marian could scarcely believe it. There she'd stood in Robin's arms, the feel and scent of him familiar and comforting and warm and golden, like stepping inside a cosy home after being out in a storm for too long, and Marian had closed her eyes and suddenly thoughts of Guy had filled her head.

If Robin was the cosy home that made her feel safe and warm, then Guy was the fire in the darkness, blazingly hot and dangerous, that, even though she knew she'd get burnt, drew her in no matter what. She couldn't avert her eyes, like a moth to a flame her gaze was pulled in and she couldn't help but watch the fire burn and destroy and consume and hurt everyone and everything in its vicinity while still being breathtakingly beautiful. That was Guy.

Marian had let out a gasp when thoughts like that had filled her head, and when Robin had asked her what was wrong she'd gently wound herself out of his arms and had asked what he wanted. Robin's face had shown a hint of confusion and he'd countered defensively if it was a crime that he wanted to see his betrothed after a week of no word from her.

Marian in return had scolded him for being so reckless as to come to Nottingham with no real reason. She'd told him that she would find a way to send word if there were any news about the Sheriff's plans, or Prince John's plot or anything else noteworthy.

"What about Gisborne?" Robin had asked in a cold voice that had sent shivers down Marian's spine (and not in a good way).

"What about him?" Marian had winced at her own frosty tone but thankfully, before Robin had had the chance to say more, they had been spotted and guards had rushed towards them. With one lingering hard stare Robin had let go of her, had taken his bow from his shoulder and had dashed away.

And Marian had stood there, heart beating furiously in her chest, and had been confused and angry and very conscious of the fact that another thing she'd felt right there and then had been relief for the interruption.

Speaking of…

"Oi, Marian!"

A loud voice suddenly pulled Marian back to the here and now and she had to blink a few times, only to realize that she'd long left the market and Nottingham town behind and was now standing in the middle of the castle courtyard.

She turned to her left and at once spotted the owner of the voice that had pulled her out of her reverie. Allan A' Dale approached in quick strides, a grin on his face and his blue eyes sparkling in the setting sun.

Marian quickly hid the basket behind her back and smiled back at him. Over the last few weeks she'd come to view Allan as a friend. Sure, he was a traitor to the course, or kind of, and she hadn't completely forgiven him for betraying Robin. And yet… he'd helped her out more than once and she was willing to believe that he cared for her in his own way.

There had been times of late when she'd found an ally in him; her only kindred spirit in the castle. Like he was a sheep like her, a black sheep, no doubt, but a sheep nonetheless, amongst the wolves of Nottingham.

"Where've you been off to?" Allan asked her curiously. "Giz's been looking for you."

"I have been to the market, as Guy very well knows, since I had to ask his permission," Marian couldn't help but feel a small spark inside her when she heard the shortened term Allan so frequently used for his master.

He was perhaps the only person in the world to call Guy that and get away with it. And Marian wondered, not for the first time, why that was. She also wondered what would happen, were she ever to use the abbreviation. She kind of liked the sound of it. Giz… like something sizzled in a fire. It fit him.

"The market, huh?" Allan once again pulled her out of her thoughts. "And what have you got to show for it?" He tried to look behind Marian's back into the small basket she was hiding and Marian quickly turned and shoved him away at the same time.

"That's a surprise."

"Well, it's not as if it's for me, is it? So you can just as well show me," Allan tried to pry again.

Marian was glad that she'd placed a small cloth on top of her purchased goods, to save them from the sun and, as it turned out now, from Allan's prying eyes as well.

"I will not show you, Allan. But if you can get me into Guy's quarters without alerting him then perhaps there's some of it left for you later, too."

Marian knew that Allan loved a bargain. But he merely shrugged.

"I'm not being funny but… I don't think it's worth the trouble when I don't know what's on offer."

The playful glint in his eyes told Marian that he was mostly joking. He would help her get into Guy's chambers, she knew that. Nevertheless, what harm could it do to let him know?

"Alright," Marian conceded and brought the basket round. She carefully lifted one end of the cloth so that he could peek inside.

Allan lifted his head and let out an impressed whistle. "Not bad, I'd say!"

"Do you think Guy likes them?"

Something in her voice, some over-eager nervousness perhaps, must have alerted Allan because he eyed her with a sudden seriousness that he bore only rarely. "This thing between you and Giz… I just hope you know what you're doing."

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm not doing anything." Marian knew at once that she sounded far too defensive.

"Marian," Allan shook his head and sighed. "I'm not being funny but… look, as mad as it sounds, Giz is a friend, well, kind of. He's not so bad, once you get to know him."

"I know that!" Marian felt her face heat up. And therein lay the problem, didn't it?

"I just," Allan continued quietly, "I'm just looking out for him. I don't want him to get his hopes up only for you to crush 'em when you run back to Robin."

"Who's to say I'm running back to Robin?" Marian realized that she'd almost shouted and also, what she'd let slip. She blushed but quickly lowered her voice and went on: "Of course I'm running back… that is, there's no running to anyone or from anyone…"

She broke off, knowing she wasn't making things any better. She took a deep breath and tried again. "Look, Allan, Guy and I are friends, nothing more."

Allan let out a snort. "Yeah, friends like me and Lucy, the tavern wench."

Seeing Marian's frown he quickly waved it away. "Never mind. But, I've seen the way you look at each other. And I'm not being funny but it's not just him! Come on, Marian, you can't expect me to believe that you and Giz haven't… you know."

"No," Marian exclaimed, "we haven't! Of course we haven't! Not that it's any of your business but… I'm betrothed to Robin! I'm gonna marry Robin!"

Several heads turned towards them and Marian quickly grabbed Allan's arm and led him up the castle's front steps.

"Allan, I…" Marian shot a pleading look at the ex-outlaw's worried face.

"Never mind," Allan sighed. "Just be careful, alright? And don't say I didn't warn you. You're playing with fire and that's always dangerous. And I for one don't wanna get burnt."

Marian said nothing. What was there to say? Of course she knew that she was playing with fire. Of course she knew that it was dangerous. The only thing she didn't know for sure was whether or not she was, perhaps, deliberately seeking out the fire because she wanted to get burnt.

TBC

Sorry that Guy and Marian don't actually meet in here. But they can't be together all the time, can they? Well... at least not yet :-)