That night was a feast in the Great Hall that went into the early hours of the morning. Drunken Wolf Warriors stumbled through the hallways to their beds (if they made it that far) or simply passed out in a stupor. It was too precarious for me to try to find Guy, so I had to content myself with returning to my cold cell alone.
My bed seemed even more empty, thinking back on the sweet, brief time we spent in the grove and the love I had felt there – and the sudden change in Guy at the first taste of revenge. Would I find the same Guy tomorrow morning? I gazed at the cold moonlight shining through my narrow stone window. I pulled up my woolen blanket over me, imagining it was Guy's arms around me.
The Wolf Warriors were still busy nursing their hangovers when the first cock crowed. Gulnar fixed a noxious concoction to clear their heads and stir the madness within them. By the late morning, they thirsted for blood and were eager to fight.
Prisoners from a tiny town of Wickam – a place I had never heard of – were brought into the Great Hall. I was sickened to see the prisoners were women and children. What use did the warriors have with them – surely they would not be asked to join. Would they all be used as a sacrifice to Fenris? Gulnar slyly smiled and ordered they be taken to the highest tower in the abbey.
I saw Guy briefly within the Great Hall. A wolf pelt hung down his back and the wolf's head obscured his hair in a gruesome fur hood. He was sharpening his sword with a whetstone, completely absorbed in a routine that must have been common enough in his old life. Maybe he felt some normalcy in the old habit as the warriors howled their war cries.
Gulnar suddenly raised his arms and even though his voice wasn't loud, when he called for silence, the warriors stopped and turned to their master.
"It is now time," said Gulnar in the eerie silence. "Robin Hood is close. Prove your loyalty to Fenris! Wild and savage as the wolf you will be in battle! May Fenris give you the strength to tear apart Robin Hood and his men as rabbit is torn by a wolf's fangs!"
"Hail Fenris! Hail Gulnar," cried the Wolf Warriors.
As the warriors charged out of the Great Hall, Guy dropped his whetstone and eagerly followed them, a strange madness and hunger burning in his eyes. I rushed to one of the windows facing the battle, following where Guy fought as he charged out into the melee on Fury. It was then – for the first time – I saw the legendary Robin Hood and his men in the flesh. The supernatural aura surrounding them vanished very quickly.
They looked and acted just like men. And if Robin Hood was capable of superhuman feats, why did he continue fighting with a sword – like any other man? I didn't know, out of all the rough-dressed men, who was Robin Hood? Maybe it was the man with the two knives or the fiery warrior wielding his sword like a madman from Hell. But whoever it was – the battle was soon over – and by shameful means. I heard the frightened cries of the women and children above me and saw they intended to hurl them to their deaths if Robin Hood and his men did not surrender.
You cowards, I thought. You filthy swine! You can't win this battle fairly so you use women and children to win it for you!
I tried to see the look on Guy's face – if he was equally horrified by the barbarism – but I was unable to see him at such a distance. I saw him raise his sword to a delicate-looking man with long blond hair. Was this the mythic Robin Hood? No, this must be one of his men.
Swiftly the warriors bound them and led them into the Great Hall as prisoners. I did not see Guy for the rest of the evening or later that morning. I discovered he had left soon after dawn with several of the Wolf Warriors on a hunting party. More Norman soldiers were coming, supposedly to attack the abbey, and the Sons of Fenris planned an early and unexpected ambush.
It wasn't until late afternoon when the fierce wolf howls echoed through the Great Hall from the returning, victorious Wolf Warriors. What few Norman soldiers remained from the battle (what I more heard was a slaughter) were paraded in triumph before the idol of the fierce wolf god. As had happened countless times before with so many other men, they were all asked to join – join or die. Some of the young soldiers agreed to join, but the older, more loyal ones either refused or spat in the face of Grendel. A few were immediately put to death as an example to all the others, but one or two were spared for sport or as a later sacrifice to Fenris.
Guy entered the hall and proudly brought forth a captive Norman lord. Guy was not the same man I had spent the afternoon in the grove with. A madness and malicious satisfaction gleamed in his eyes. He shoved the Norman lord before him, who looked back at Guy with defiance and anger. When Gulnar demanded who the lord was, Guy answered: Robert de Rainault, The Sheriff of Nottingham.
Robert de Rainault the sheriff? Was this the same man in the Robin Hood tales? No, this could not be the same mad, stupid sheriff! I suddenly recalled the odd question Guy asked to the Wolf Warrior before they rode into battle:
From the south? Do they ride from Nottingham?
Was this the same lord who had betrayed Guy? Was Guy the 'Gadfly of Gizzard' in the tales I had heard? No, he couldn't be. "Gizzard" was a buffoon, a complete imbecile, a lustful brute forcing himself on Saxon virgins. This wasn't Guy!
I saw Guy draw his sword and press the sword's edge at the sheriff's throat, offering to end his life for Gulnar. Could this be the same Guy who just a few nights before was revolted at the blood sport of the warriors? Who shunned seeing them slaughter and sacrifice prisoners to their god? Madness and a dark delight dwelled in those beautiful eyes – where I had seen such love and tenderness. Had it been so quickly burned away in the fires of revenge?
When Guy was told he could not kill the sheriff, angry disappointment was upon his face as he sheathed his sword. It came as no surprise to me that the sheriff refused to join the warriors and they dragged him away to be chained up in some dark, God forsaken place within these walls.
I found Guy in the corridor while he was on his way to his chambers. He smiled as he saw me and caught me up in his arms, spinning me around in happiness.
I failed to feel the same enthusiasm.
"I'm still angry at you with what happened in the stable," I said. "Now Grendel thinks I'm your whore!"
"Now Anne – you're my lady and I love you … You know I couldn't let Grendel know how I really feel about you. If I defended your honor –"
"I know," I sighed. "I just wish you didn't allow him to think such lies!"
His smile faded and Guy slowly lowered me to the ground.
"You're right. A real knight, truly worthy of you, would fight the last of these animals to the death rather than besmirch your honor so." Guy said this in all seriousness. "I am sorry I am so unworthy of you. You deserve a far nobler man than me."
Such sadness dwelled in his eyes I couldn't feel anger anymore. Instead of wasting time on a useless argument, I gave him a loving, tender kiss.
"Let us talk no more on this," I said. "You are the only man I could want."
Guy gently smiled, his dimples softly coming to his cheeks.
"But I've yet to tell you the good news," said Guy, his face brightening. "The most wonderful thing that could have happened! Not only have we caught Robin Hood, but now I'll have my revenge on the man who betrayed me! Even I never dreamed it would happen this way! At last I have everything I've wanted and soon Robin Hood will be dead!"
"But what of the women and children? Did you know –"
"Anne, that was not my idea. I would have preferred a fair fight. Believe me, if I was given just a little more time, I would have killed Robin Hood! Only these animals resort to such dishonorable means!"
"So you have been hunting Robin Hood all this time. You are Giz- … uh … the captain of the guards to Nottingham."
"I once was," Guy sighed. "And at last I will be avenged for all the humiliation and insult I've had to endure because of Robin Hood! It is only because of that Wolfshead the sheriff blamed me – offered my neck to save his own!"
"And the sheriff … the one you served, are you content to let him die as well?"
Anger and coldness suddenly flashed into Guy's eyes; it reminded me too much of how I first saw him, chained in the dungeon.
"That 'sheriff' – who I served faithfully for so long – was hoping to kill me! But finally he is going to get what he deserves! He'll pay for what he's done to me – for how he's treated me all these years!"
Vengeance shined in his eyes, a thirst for revenge and a growing madness. The man I loved was being stripped away, eaten alive by his vengeance. Every part of me rebelled, wanted to yank him back from the brink I had seen so many young men plunge over in their blind service to Fenris. I knew once he tumbled over, only blood and madness would be waiting for him and he'd be lost forever.
"No, Guy. You mustn't!"
A frown crossed over his brow and angry confusion dwelled in his eyes.
"You mustn't let them kill him – not your lord. I know he was cruel and evil to you, betraying you to save himself … But if you let them kill him – or even worse – if you kill him yourself – your soul will belong to him – to Fenris!"
Guy looked at me in disbelief and stared at me with growing coldness and anger.
"You must believe me, Guy. I almost was gone myself – lost to them – no better than an animal, living for death and cruelty … You should escape, escape with your lord and …" I wanted to add "and me," but it died in my throat before I could speak it. "He would be thankful then – thankful you saved his life. He would forever be indebted to you."
Guy's jaw tensed and anger burned within his eyes.
"Would that make you happy, Anne? Is that what you want?"
Many improbable ideas crossed my mind – our escape together from Gulnar and the Wolf Warriors. His lord might pardon Guy because of his rescue – and then Guy might take me as his wife. Bitterness rose within me as I dreamt my self-made fantasy. Who was I to imagine I'd have a life with Guy after this – that he would wed me and we would love each other until the end of our days? What fairy tale did I think I was living in? I was only a peasant – Anne of Halam – of a small village that no longer existed. No knight would wed a dowerless woman without any land. Women like me only married within their class, farmers or tradesmen – or were the whores to men of higher status.
"Well," demanded Guy. "Would sparing the sheriff make you happy? Do you even know about the Sheriff of Nottingham? Did you ever hear about him back in Halam?"
I remained silent, fighting against the tears rising in my eyes.
"He would starve whole villages to curry favor with the king," Guy cried. "He'd sell out his mother if it would gain him more coin! He'd burn down the homes of women and children if it suited him! Is this the man you think would spare my life?"
I stood silent, afraid my voice would betray my sadness and anger.
"The truth is – after all my years of loyal service to him – he is willing to offer my head to spare his own. This is the reward I get!"
"If he was such a terrible lord, why did you continue to serve him," I demanded.
His jaw clenched and a heavy silence settled between us.
"Because – because there was no where else for me to go," he at last said bitterly.
I thought I saw angry tears well within his eyes.
"And what will you do once your lord is dead," I finally asked. "You will have no choice but to remain here. You'll be a slave to Gulnar."
Madness flashed into his eyes.
"I am no one's slave and certainly not to that sniveling maggot! Everything I've always wanted has happened here. Robin Hood has been captured; I am no longer the whipping boy of de Rainault! You ask me to save the sheriff's life and grovel back to him like – like some dog?"
"Guy, no I –"
"To be blamed for his incompetence, to once again be the laughingstock of Notthingham, to be cursed and mocked by his court – by even the serfs?!"
"Guy –"
"My old life is over – what good is it now? To beg forgiveness of that rat King John? I'd rather stay here than to grovel like a wretched beggar! This is the Time of the Wolf! I would be a fool to deny it."
"But you are a fool," I cried. "Don't you see? There is nothing but death here!"
"I will not be lectured to – not by you – not by anyone!"
"This is madness!"
"You're the one who's mad," Guy spat. "Keep silent about matters you know nothing about!"
"How could you be so blind? You fool," I screamed.
Rage and madness burned in his eyes and I saw his strong hands clench.
"You're just like all the others," Guy said bitterly. "You never loved me."
He turned away and stalked down the corridor, disappearing into the shadow.
