Chapter eight: Change of heart


Meg awoke to find her head ached dreadfully, as did her body. She had been hit and kicked a few times. She'd almost forgotten how it felt, she'd been so happy at Guy's home that she hadn't even known it. She moaned and touched her nose, finding it swollen.

A sudden stream of something that stung, pouring down on her face caused her to cry out and shield her eyes. By the smell, she figured that a bottle of strong alcohol had been poured on her. "Bout time you woke up," her father sneered. "you, worthless thing."

Meg was grabbed by her chains, pulled up into an upright position. her blood curdled when she realized it was Chris touching her. She slapped him away and this time, he sat back opposite her. he smoothed his greasy hands on his clothes. Meg noted her rib cage ached and she figured something was broken.

She inhaled deeply and asked. "What is the matter with you?" Her voice rose, as she demanded. "Why did you take me away?"

"I seen you," her father sneered. "strutting around his place, like you think you're better than us."

"Oh, God knows," she spat. "I am so much better than you!" she received another slap for that remark. She inhaled deeply as she flung her hair back. "Couldn't you have just let me go? Why do you even want me?"

He rolled his eyes. "I don't want you. Chris still does. You should consider yourself lucky," her father spat on the floor. "that he even gives you a second look, considering you lived with that animal!"

"We'll be married," Chris informed her. "as soon as we're in the next town!"

"Sir Guy loves me!" the words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. the moment they came out of her mouth, it was like a bell going off in her head. as if somehow, as window had been opened in her mind and everything he'd said to her somehow made sense in a different light.

"What," Chris spat out in disgust. "did you say?"

"He," somehow a strange feeling, courage, filled her chest. "he says that…he loves me." Meg stared the two shocked men down as this feeling filled her whole being. "If the two of you were smart," she sneered at the two of them. "you'd let me go right now and maybe, he'll spare your lives!"

Chris responded by reaching out, slamming her head against the side of the carriage as he shouted. "By the time I'm done with you, you won't even remember who Guy of Gisbourne is!"


Guy slowed Thunder down; he'd been running hard this morning. Guy hated that he was a whole two days ride away. He loved Thunder and only pushed him as far as he could go. Guy valued few things in his life and his horse was one of them. However, this was one of the times he wished his horse had wings. They were now only a few hours away from Locksley.

As he came up to the top of a hill, he slowed and looked down it. he observed a carriage approaching at a slow and leisurely pace. for some reason, he stopped and observed it. that was when he heard a woman screaming. His senses became alert, he recognized that scream anywhere. It was Meg, he knew it anywhere, and her screams were always full of pain and torture. He kicked Thunder into a swift canter and went galloping down towards the carriage.

Guy knew the driver and the man realized that the game was over. Meg's screams masked the sounds of the hoof beats. Once Guy was close enough, the driver stopped. "Help her," he said. "that girl's been screaming her head off for the last day."


The carriage jerked to a stop and Meg's father fell forward with a curse. "What is this?" he shouted as he got out of the carriage.

Meg continued to scream as Chris prepared to enter her. she was able to jerk her bare foot back and kick him in his lower abdomen. "You slut!" He shouted as he drew his hand back and slapped Meg's face.

Suddenly, her father let out a yell, a yell of pain that caused Chris to stop his assault. He stiffened and turned towards the back of the carriage. "Mr. Bennett?" No answer. He straightened up and fixed his clothes. "Driver? What's going on out there?" Again, no answer.

Something, instinct made her call out. "Guy?" The curtain was whipped back to reveal Guy's handsome and concerned face. she began crying as she caught sight of the man that she somehow always had known would come for her. "Guy!"

Guy's eyes took in the scene with one look. With a roar, he pulled Chris out of the carriage, threw him on the ground as he dropped the curtain. There were a few angry shouts, Chris screaming in pain and then there was absolute silence. Meg pulled her skirts back down around her as she tried to find some control over her emotions, but she couldn't.

Guy drew the curtain back and got into the carriage. "Oh Meg, I'm so sorry." He reached out and until the chains on her wrists. "I shouldn't have left you."

"Not, your fault." She blubbered before pleading. "Hold me." He instantly complied and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "Please."

"I am and I won't let you go." He carefully picked her up and helped her out of the carriage. "I've got you, they won't hurt you again."

She looked around to see that Guy had run her father had been run through completely and stabbed him several times in the stomach. Chris, however, he'd fared the worst of the two and had suffered at the hand of Guy's fury. He'd been stabbed in the heart and stomach. His head and a vital part of his male anatomy had been detached from his body.

She stared at the bodies in shock before whispering. "You killed them."

"I told them I would if they ever laid a hand on you again." He set her up on the horse carefully climbed up behind her. he looked upwards at the sky. "We're still several hours away from the estates and it'll be dark soon." He exhaled and rubbed her arm. "Can you hold onto me tight? If we hurry, we should still make it before it gets completely dark."

Meg shook her head as she admitted. "I think…one of them, broke one of my ribs." Guy's eyes flashed in fury. "I'm sorry."

He stared at her. "You're sorry? Why the hell should you be sorry?" he demanded. "They hurt you, because I failed to protect you." Meg stared at him in amazement. How could he possibly be blaming himself for this? "I should have brought you along with me."

She bit her lip. "I'm…still sorry."

He exhaled in exasperation. "What on earth could you possibly be sorry for?"

"For…slowing you down." She admitted.

"Oh Meg," he assured her firmly. "you're not slowing me down. I'm upset, because…you've had a horrible ordeal and I can't even get you back home so you'll feel safe. We're going to wind up sleeping out here in the forests, in the middle of the night and I know for a fact that this will put you on edge all evening and I've no wish to make you feel ill at ease!"

Meg's heart softened at his concern. He was genuinely concerned for her. she'd seen Guy of Gisbourne as a black hearted man, but now, after being rescued from absolute hell and evil, she was seeing him in a different light. Her heart changed towards him. It was so sudden that she was almost concerned by the feelings inside her.

But to put Guy at ease, she admitted softly to him. "I trust you." And she knew that she meant it. She could trust Guy of Gisbourne with her life. Though she couldn't admit it yet, something told her, that given time, she could possibly trust him with her heart.


That evening, in the forests,


I trust you. those words kept floating back to Guy's mind as he unsaddled Thunder and let him roll, being careful not to be kicked by the flailing legs. Meg hadn't made a sound as they slowly plodded along back towards their home. Guy shook his head. he really didn't want to stop here tonight. It was going to be so traumatic for Meg.

Thunder stood and shook himself. Guy patted him on the neck and took off the bridle. Thunder never roamed too far away. Guy moved towards his saddlebag, brought it over to the fire, and began to search it. he always brought some items in case of an injury, now he wished brought more than witch hazel salve and two rolls of bandages. He glanced up at Meg; she was nibbling on some bread a short distance away from him, propped up against a tree.

as if she sensed his eyes, she looked towards him and she paused before asking. "what?"

"I'm sorry," he cleared his throat. "I was trying to assess how much damage has been done to you."

Meg lowered her gaze, picking at the bread before asking. "I look horrible, don't I?"

Guy stood up and walked over to her. "You've always looked fair in my eyes and you always will."

Meg smiled faintly and rolled her eyes. "I think you might need spectacles." He handed her the witch hazel and bandages before stepping back and taking off his black jacket. She frowned slightly. "What are you doing?"

He cleared his throat. "I need to bind up your rib cage." Her face flushed. "I'm sorry Meg, but, until we find a physician, I need to take care of you to the best of my abilities."

She nodded. "I understand." She pulled her hair out of the way. "I'll need help with the ties."

"Alright." He handed her his jacket. "You can cover yourself with this."

She nodded limply as he slowly undid the ties to the back of her dress. He couldn't secure her ribcage without her body being exposed to his gaze. Guy kept his gaze focused on the task at hand, as he slid the dress carefully down her shoulders. Anger boiled in him as he saw the bruises on her skin. "Hand me the hazel." She handed it to him, her hand shaking slightly. He was careful not to touch her as he took the small container from her. "Thank you. you've got bruises back here that need medication." She nodded silently as he touched straps of her shift hesitantly. "I have to remove this too."

She nodded and whispered out. "I know."

Guy inhaled deeply as he eased her shift down around her waist, exposing her back to him. it was covered in bruises and he could see her ribs. He knew she was slender, but he didn't know she was undernourished. She'd been beaten as well; he knew the signs of a whip too well. "You need to eat more." He said as he gently smeared the salve on the bruises. Meg shuddered slightly but didn't make a sound. "You're undernourished."

She shook her head of hair. "I've been told…that, I'm too fat."

"If those words were spoken by your father or that other man," he bit out. "I demand that you disregard whatever words happened to make it out of their mouths. It's stupid to head words like that from the mouths of fools."

Meg nodded as she held his jacket up, covering her chest. "It still hurts though."

Guy paused. He never knew what to really say to woman. How could he even begin to comfort someone in her position? however, he had to try. "Time heals everything…so I'm told."

She nodded mutely and said nothing as he continued his work on her back. Once he finished he paused and moved to go in front of her. Meg turned and faced him, her head downwards somewhat. He didn't touch her as she slowly moved his jacket away from her chest, he respectfully averted his eyes. He could feel her watching him intensely, seeing if he'd respect her.

After a few moments, she croaked. "I'm decent." Guy looked up to see that she'd carefully rearranged her hair and his jacket over her breasts, providing some sort of modest look. Guy cleared his throat and again dipped into the witch hazel and moved to deal with the bruises on her arms. "Have you," Meg asked softly. "done this before?"

He nodded. "A few times, I always carry a few medical supplies in case of injury."

"Am I the…first woman, you've…done this to?"

He nodded. "Actually you are. Does that worry you?"

"No. just, curious." He moved to smear the salve on a dark spot on her rib cage. He touched it gently and Meg cried out. "Guy!"

"I'm sorry." He jerked his hand away from her instantly. "I'm sorry." It was then he realized that she was holding onto his other hand. "I won't touch you again."

"It's alright." She bit her lip as she admitted. "It hurts."

He inhaled deeply. "I'll be careful."

"I know." Meg held his tightly, letting out whimpers as he carefully finished dabbing on the final bits of medication. He reached for the bandage and began to roll it around her rib cage. Meg carefully moved her hair away as he bound her ribs tightly. His fingers shook as he concentrated on the white bandage and not on her skin. "How did you know?" She asked him softly. "You were…a few days' ride away. Did Marian find you?"

Guy exhaled deeply and shook his head. "Something…told me you were in trouble and I headed back." He cleared his throat. "I've never taken this route before, but, for some reason I did. And then, I heard you…screaming." Guy paused before asking cautiously. "Did he… hurt you again?"

Meg couldn't look at him as she admitted. "Once and I was…unconscious…he was going to," her voice faltered for a moment. "but, you showed up." Guy secured the bandage and turned away from her to allow her some privacy. Meg let out a few hisses of pain as she got back into her shift and dress. Guy waited until she said. "I'm decent." He turned and knelt down beside her to tie up her laces. Just this once, he wished that he didn't have so much experience helping women in this manner. "You've done this before." Meg surmised quietly, her voice without condemnation or malice.

Guy paused before he admitted quietly. "Yes, I have but…they weren't you. so this…is almost a first time." Meg turned and Guy helped brace hers body against the tree. "Here. I've got you." he was gentle with her as he took his jacket and carefully tucked it around her legs. He wondered if they were as badly bruised as the rest of her body. He stood and moved back towards his saddle and collected the blanket from Thunder before going back to Meg's body. She'd shifted into a more comfortable position. "I apologize for the smell," he said as he placed it on her. "but it will keep you warm. I'll sleep over there."

"But you-

"Will be fine." He assured her. "You're my main priority. Trust me; I've fared under worse conditions."

He began tucking the blanket around her carefully. "Kiss." The word came out of her mouth so quietly that Guy wasn't certain that he'd heard her. he looked at her and found her eyes shimmering in the moonlight with a bit of tears. It had been a hard day for her. He brushed her hair from her face, stroking her face gently with his index finger. He shushed her gently, shaking his head as she looked up at him with those big eyes. "Please." The plea in her voice was unmistakable.

He didn't know why she was asking him such a thing. She'd been assaulted twice, possibly more than that without her knowledge. Why was she asking for a kiss from him? was it something that she needed? Was it the desire to feel loved or cherished that made her request it? did she want to feel safe and secure? Whatever the reason, he wasn't going to deny her such a simple request.

He smiled faintly as he leaned forward and kissed her as lightly and as briefly as possible. But it wasn't as brief, innocent or gentle as it should be. Her lips, no matter how small the kiss was, always caused his heart to beat faster. His fingers curved instinctively around her neck, coaxing her mouth into his, but he didn't force her. he pulled away, studying her face carefully as he ran his hand down her shoulder. To his shock, Meg didn't appear frightened, she appeared to be calm and at peace. He shook his head in wonder and amazement at her. how could she be so strong?

She smiled as she admitted quietly. "I always…quite liked you."

He chuckled quietly as she stirred in his arms, her head to the side. Guy watched as Meg closed her eyes, her breathing warm and even. She was so exhausted that she fell asleep in his arms that moment. Guy exhaled and drew her close to him. he didn't even dare to think what he thought might be going on in Meg's head, but he hoped that she'd see that he was sorry about what happened to her and really wanted to protect her even if it meant that he had to die for her. it was in this moment, that Guy realized that he was in love with Meg.