So, the morning after the night before…
Sir Guy awoke many hours later, his arm still cradling the sleeping beauty that lay next to him. A gentle draught brushed over the pair and Ele nudged closer from the brief chill, wrapping her arms around him. Huddled in his arms Guy felt the steady rise and fall of Ele's chest as she breathed deep and slowly, trying to maintain her sleeping state and hold onto the last remnants of her dreams. An overwhelming feeling of adoration swept through Guy as he looked down at her, silently watching with tender admiration. AA love Guy had not known since Marian, had now returned to him, baring every passion a lover could hold and an affection that only a kindred spirit would recognize. When Guy killed Marian he believed he had lost love forever and was never to feel the pound of his heart in the familiar beat of infatuation ever again, let alone to be loved in return.
Softly he stroked her cheek with the back of his hand and kissed her forehead, welcoming the sleepy smile she gave in response. Trying not to wake her further, Guy eased himself out of Ele's grasp; merely being in her presence was doing strange things to his mind. Or rather, his body.
Outside a purplish hue clung to the horizon as the sun barely peaked above the earth. No doubt the Sheriff would want his master-at-arms present for the treaty's departure, leaving the new found lovers with no time for each other. Guy blinked slowly, his thick black lashes shuttering stormy grey eyes, his vision flushed over her skin like the cool breeze moments ago. His heart was still pounding; the room suddenly felt oddly warm. Ele looked so tempting, curled up in her bed, with fine linen sheets draped haphazardly over her body. How sweet she had tasted on his tongue and how right it had felt after when she curled into him.
He leaned toward her, bending his head down until it was hovering just above her. Ele heard the soft rasp of his breath caress her skin as he drew her into his lungs and released through his lips. She heard a low growl rumble across her ear.
"Good morning."
"Good morning, my Lord" She replied, the sound of his title on her lips again sent a quiver shooting up his spine. Ele's eyes fluttered open to meet his longing gaze and together they shared a gentle kiss. Guy brushed the tip of his nose against hers before standing from the bed to redress in the clothes that had been thrown carelessly across the room amidst their passions. Ele groggily sat up, drawing her knees beneath her chin and hiding the scars on her inner arms under the bed sheets.
"Must you really go?" She murmured. Guy said nothing as he buckled his trousers and flung the leather jacket over shoulders. He took Ele's face in his hands and kissed her deeply, his jacket hung open allowing her hands to wander freely over his chest and back. His hand drifted to her waist while the other cupped the back of her neck; Ele pulled against him and lay down, drawing him on top of her obeying every silent command given through the plush of her lips. His touch was so delicate with affection; Ele felt her blood beat in her ears as butterflies flitted about in her stomach, like a virgin bride on her wedding night.
Guy pulled away to rest on his elbows, looking dazedly into Ele's eyes, wandering over her face, taking in what he could easily claim yet was loathed to collect.
"Later, where will you be" He asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Knighton" She sighed
"Although from what I gather, Knighton was almost Gisborne." She teased, lacing her fingers in Guy's hair.
"Locksley is my Gisborne"
"Does changing a name really make a difference; a rose by another other name would still smell as sweet." Ele questioned, curving her brow.
"When a woman marries, she changes her name. It makes a difference" He kissed her again, running his tongue across her bottom lip begging admittance. After his performance last night Ele could hardly deny him and a heated battle ensued as they fought for the dominance of the kiss. Ele flipped Guy onto his back, straddled across his leather covered groin. She knew he had no intention to make love to her, at least not at that precise moment, but every sense in her was alive with longing for him and the tight bulge forcing against his trousers wasn't helping.
"Stay?" She gave a little girl pout. From the grin Guy wore, Ele almost thought a repeat of last night may follow but then the annoying, interrupting bellow of the Sheriff came hurtling through the window. Ele rolled off of Guy with a grunt of frustration.
"I can't" Trace notes of annoyance could be heard in his voice no matter how hard he tried to hide them. No more words were said, only innocent kisses as Guy sat on the edge of Ele's bed fastening his jacket. Ele draped her arms over Guy's shoulders embracing him. Guy took her hand, kissing her fingertips, over her wrist and up her arm, her skin like the softest satin to his lips. Another shout came from below. Ele nuzzled the side of his face permitting him to leave. Then with a final kiss guy stood, his hand dawdling on Ele until she was out of reach. He gave her a sad smile as he closed the door behind him; torn apart again.
When he was gone, Ele relented to a girly grin, admitting that she was aching in all the right places and her skin was a map of where his hands, and demanding mouth, had been. He had been a pure heat that seared every inch of her skin, licking like an unseen flame. She had writhed and whimpered under the skill of his tongue, surrendering to a torment she would have no end of. She thought of how easily she could get lost in those ominous, yet compelling, eyes and the dizzying combination of his attentive hands and hot, hungry mouth.
In any other circumstance Ele would have welcomed the warm rush of love in her veins, however, now a cold lump of fear lodged in her throat.
Ele leapt out of the bed and groped around on the floor beneath the bed. She pricked on her finger on the point and, pulled the dagger out from underneath, ashamed of her intentions while another part of her regretted not sheathing the solid steal in Guy's breast while he slept. Now, no matter what revenge she would wish for, Ele could not kill him, the smallest part of her cried with the loudest voice making him more precious to her than anything in the whole world.
Rapidly Ele dressed in her leathers, covering them with a simple black gown. She stuffed what little possessions she had brought to the castle into the ebony box which had previously housed her leathers; Ele slung her mask into a saddle bag and sheathed the dagger in its holster at her waist. She took a single card from her tarot deck and slipped it underneath her wristlet before placing the remaining cards in the box along with everything else. Ele beckoned in her lady's-maid to make final preparations for her party of servants to leave for Knighton while Ele was otherwise detained, however, not mentioning that she would be going to be waiting along the Nottingham-Peterborough road ready to ambush the treaty on its way to London.
"What is the point of having a 'master-at-arms' if he's never bloody here!" The Sheriff barked just as Guy emerged from the castle doors.
"My apologies my Lord, I over slept." He replied keeping his expression deadly serious and trying to maintain a somewhat lacking regal bearing. The Sheriff slanted an impatient look in Guys direction. They watched on as the treaty safely headed out of Nottingham with no interference from Hood. Guy found his thoughts once again returning to the quiet room high in the castle, back to the midnight visit that shouldn't have happened but he would never regret. His thoughts continued the memory of her lavender scent and soft, silky skin coiled around him. He tensed, his sex rousing at the very thought of her, however, the Sheriff's voice was enough to subdue any man.
"Gisborne, saddle some riders, I want you to follow it. Just until it reaches the mercenaries in Tollerton." The Sheriff ordered smoothly. Reluctantly, Guy complied and hurried off to the castle stables.
Now alone, the Sheriff chuckled to himself, containing the eruption of laughter to a smug grin. The whole castle, if not Nottingham, had probably heard Gisborne and his little whore last night. 'Apples' The Sheriff thought to himself, wandering back to his room; Vasey suspected that Eleanor, being Marian's sister, and the reappearance of the Nightwatchman was no mere coincidence. Merely the younger trying to live up to the elder, he just needed to prove it, and that would come sooner then he thought.
No-one, besides Vasey, Gisborne and a trusted few Black Knights, knew the treaty's true location. If Eleanor was anything like her sister, she wouldn't have been able to resist eavesdropping after the banquet, especially as the doors had been deliberately left open. Also, if she was working against the Sheriff, having spent the night with Gisborne there was little chance she had warned Hood, leaving her trapped in a tangled web. The Sheriff laughed out loud as he passed the unconstructed gallows, the thought of her swinging by the neck put a sick smile on his face; then again, since she spent so long in France, maybe it would be prominent, if not entertaining, to execute her in a French fashion…
Ele made her way hastily down the outer steps of Nottingham castle.
Just a fantasy, just a fantasy! She repeated to herself to fight off the idea of Guy scooping her up in his arms and taking her back to bed. He had most definitely improved since their last encounter, well it had been six years, but she dare not dwell on the thought, yet with each resistance a stronger need battered its way through to her conscience.
Lupis, the now named black horse, was in the deserted courtyard, saddled and waiting for his mistress. With a cautious look over her shoulder Ele mounted the beast. She went to raise her leg over the horse's back and ride English style before suddenly realising she was in a dress and should ride side-saddle. Ele readjusted herself hopeful that no-one had seen her amateur blunder, knowing that once safely outside of Nottingham she could ride at full speed to Knighton and discard the frumpy dress before changing horses and tracking the treaty, or even get ahead of it if she moved quickly. The wagon had long since left Nottingham but, thankfully, would be travelling slowly due to its size and the stamina of the entourage of guards.
Through the streets of Nottingham Ele moved amongst the sea of people, watching as they went about their humble lives, complaining about the price of bread and listening to the ravings of heaven and hell with no objection, blissfully unaware of matters happening but a few feet from their doors. If those people, insignificant as they were, knew the wagon which had passed by moments ago contained something which could devour England, would they have let it pass so easily?
And in an instant Ele understood why Marian, and possibly Robin, fought. Not for the King or for money but for innocence; the simple idea of living a life untainted by greed or suffering.
'Silly girl' she barked under her breath, scolding herself.
'Why do you fight? Revenge? Love…Lust?'
A face in the crowd jolted Ele back from her daze. She knew that face and ginger hair from long ago, however, now appeared before her grown and if not a little haggard since the last time she saw him. He slipped through the crowd, Ele's memory panicked for his name, to cry out before he disappeared.
"Mulch!" She shouted above the hustle. No reaction came, maybe he had not heard. She shouted again, not even the slightest twitch of recognition.
"Much!!" This time it was a squeal, half excitement at having remembered his name and half embarrassment for mistaking it for half-rotten straw. Much peered round looking for whom had called out his name; he hardly recognized the figure sat daintily atop the black horse until he studied her features more carefully, at once knowing who she was when he saw her dark eyes like two dark abysses where light could never reach.
"Lady Eleanor!" He yelped, his voice going a note Much hadn't been able to reach since he was six.
"You're returned from…" He stopped abruptly, not entirely sure of where Ele had been or for what reason, and why should he? At the time of her departure Much's only duty had been to attend Robin in everyway, primarily ferrying love notes between his master and Marian.
"France? Yes I've been back for sometime now." Ele knew she had no time to talk idly so sped the conversation straight to her purpose.
"Are you still in the service of Robin of Locksley?" No doubt he would be, he had always stuck to Robin's side like hot tar, and to have abandoned him now would be highly unlikely.
"Yes" He answered brightly. "I, I mean no…Not since the Holy Lands."
Ele glared at him cynically; he never was a good liar.
"Tell him there's a wagon soon to go through his forest and that it would be in his best interest to…'intercept' it." She flashed a devious smile and a mischievous wink at Much then urged her horse forward knowing that the faithful manservant would relay her message without fail.
Ele cast her eyes back to Nottingham Castle once she was outside the city walls. The sun had only crept over the horizon an hour prior to her departure yet the lighting was eerie and ethereal, a misty haze of pink and yellow shrouded the stony structure with an otherworldly glow. Even bathed in soft pastels, the castle held its air of menace. A shiver of apprehension coursed along Ele's limbs; as awe-inspiring as the castle was, even in the eyes of an outsider, there was no denying the feeling of a slumbering evil radiating in waves off the walls, as though a thousand sins and secrets loomed dangerously behind the chipped bricks and unrevealing windows.
Much watched as Ele disappeared out of the city gates. To think he had only came to by bread! Although pleased at the prospect of outsmarting the Sheriff, Much left Nottingham harbouring a slight agitation.
'Love letters again!'
In Sherwood Forest, Robin's band of outlaws grew restless, even Robin who had maintain composure in the face of the Turk, was becoming tetchy. For the better part of the morning he had been making arrows, however, not as skilfully as Will. Then again his lack of attention to detail could easily boil down to the on going distraction of Save England or save the girl?
He had barely slept making his temperament worse. The only plan that would save both is if Ele were to join Robin's gang and considering her taste for fine things and frequent baths, the likelihood of Ele consenting to such an idea was close to Nil. Robin threw the arrow he had been making forcefully to the side. It snapped as it hit the ground only aggravating Robin more; oh how much he wanted to scream.
"Robin!" Much's voice drifted in from somewhere overhead. Robin barely moved.
"I saw Lady Eleanor leaving Nottingham."
Robin grunted in recognition.
"She said to tell you that there is a wagon soon to pass through 'your forest', and…" Much's voice trailed away in Robin's ears; Robin looked to the forest floor, concealing a smile from the gang – 'My forest' – he thought back to himself with a conceited smirk. Robin got to his feet and grabbed his bow and slung his quiver over his shoulder, his sword already hanging at his side. Behind him Robin's men looked on puzzled.
"Well?" He beckoned, jogging off in the direction of the road.
The outlaws knew the forest like the back of there hands and within minutes they were at the road. It bore no fresh foot prints, nor hoof prints nor wheel tracks – the Treaty had not yet gone by. Robin position himself atop a small incline not far from the road but hidden from view by a thick of trees and bushes. The outlaws quickly followed suite, concealing themselves just in time for a train of guards to march past; these men were only to secure the route; however, they were heavily armed. Robin counted four men with swords and two archers. The wagon wouldn't be too far behind, along with its own entourage of guards with the possibility of some being on horseback.
"Master, remind me why we're here?" Much whispered his voice trimmed with anxiety at how out numbered the outlaws would be.
"Quiet!" Robin quietly barked as the wagon rolled past. The crusader pivoted his head in the direction of Alan and John, then held out his hand and gave the cover signal to attack. The guards had not noticed the outlaws, even when they silently crept from their hiding places the guards were still totally oblivious. Just as Robin was about to deliver the first strike something dropped from the trees above, landing directly on top of the wagon. The guards turned on the masked assailant, noticing the outlaws in the process. Robin's gaze settled on the largest of them, now advancing on the outlaws, the black war fury boiling in Robin's gut. The figure jumped from the wagon knocking the large guard to the ground with a heavy kick to his jaw. They picked their way through the sheriff's men, one by one sending grown men to their knees with the clash of metal and the crush of broken bone, leaving Robin and his men to stand down and watch in awe; Robin unaware of the look of wonderment that sat on his features as his eyes followed the figure's every movement, dancing over the contours of their body and marvelling at their grace in battle.
Armed men lay stunned and at the centre of it all the mysterious helper had taken no time to pride themselves in their handiwork, already they had begun to rummage through the numerous crates in the wagon. Robin felt a strange sense of déjà vu watching the Nightwatchman mimic but at least it was reassurance that someone else, besides from his small gang, was wiling to fight against the Sheriff. With no sign of another batch of guards, Robin saw it fit to approach; slowly he made his way down the mud bank, the dry leaves crunching beneath his feet. A twig snapped, startling the masked one. They whipped round ready for battle, arm stretched and dagger in hand. Robin raised his hands in submission and heard an almost laugh come from behind the white mask. The masked one turned back to the wagon and resumed exploring its cargo. Robin caught the glint of money and gold in most crates except one. Inside sat a large velvet purse, Robin took it in his hand and pulled at the drawstrings – a document lay inside, Robin's heart racing with anticipation. He unrolled it; it was written in French, it held all the Black Knights' signatures and seals, and titled in decorative calligraphy 'Traité de l'Ordre Noir'. Robin burst out with a laugh and embraced the masked one with thanks. Only on closer inspection did he recognise the dark brown eyes looking out from the mask with fiery intent.
"Ele?!" He exclaimed, his voice coming as a breathless gasp. However, before she could utter a reply Robin noticed her eyes were looking past him and saw alarm in them. In the distance came the dreadful sound of horses rumbling through the forest. Robin turned to follow Ele's gaze; a black blur moving through the trees was steadily gaining on the outlaws, several black riders were bearing down on them, Gisborne at the head.
When Robins back was fully turned away from Ele, a soft hand grasped his wrist and forced a card into his hand. He looked to her but she had vanished leaving Robin to run or face Sir Guy. Robin quickly glanced at the card that was nestled in his palm; another tarot card lay between his fingers, this time and image of a lion entitled 'Strength' stared up at him.
"Well..." He sighed with a little mischievous grin creeping across his face as his gang took what they could from the abandoned wagon before rallying to Robin awaiting orders.
"My gang" A devious, childlike glint in his eyes.
"Time to disappear." He smiled and burst into a run, leading his outlaws to the safety of their forest retreat.
Ele took a sword from one of the fallen guards and ran in the opposite direction of the outlaws, all too aware of the pound of horse's hooves drawing closer. In her haste to flee her hood came free and she scraped the side of her face on a rough edge of a branch. The cut burned her cheek and she felt the hot trickle of blood near her ear. But she ignored the searing burn of torn flesh and the crush of the sword on her hip, now shouts came from the riders, they had spotted her and now were in full pursuit. There was no way any man let alone Ele could out run a horse. She turned to face to on coming assault. The first rider was deadly close, wielding his sword ready to cut Ele down. Ele raised her sword above her head and jumped to the horse's side at the very last second, bringing the blade down over the creature's knees and sending both rider and beast flying forward. This bought her time but not much for the other riders had dismounted and where advancing on Ele, enclosing her in a deadly circle. One jumped her; the two blades slapped together sending a spark of heat as one length of steel crashed against the other. The rider's defensive dropped providing Ele a window to deal the disarming blow. She swiped across his belly, enough to draw blood but he would not die. The rider fell back clutching his stomach, no other man moved, Gisborne entered the ring, sword drawn and blood boiling. Something cold clamped down around his chest when he saw the white mask that had haunted him nights before. He knew he had killed Marian, he had held her before Hood arrived and this was no dream…
Guy threw the first strike and in return took a vicious slice to his left shoulder as Ele evaded the attack with speed, having moved in a blink and appearing on the other side of him, grinning in triumph underneath her mask. They flew at one another in a swirl of rage and cold, deathly steel. Guy drove Ele back with blow after relentless blow until he forced his opponent down. Guy readied himself to deliver the final, killing blow but a muffled womanly cry came from beneath him. He ripped of the mask, his eyes fixed on Ele's face in pure hatred, his pupils permanently narrowed in rage. When he saw the mask he suspected Ele but denied all reason even though in his heart he knew.
"Bind her hands." He said coldly, remounting his horse without even glancing at her.
"Guy." She pleaded hopelessly for some response; fearful that she may have broken the last part of her precious Gisborne that was human.
"And gag her as well."
OooOoo, reviews if you want to find out what happens next! Hmm think Guy has been a little too nice so far, I think now is the opportune moment to release the sexy, irresistibly evil Guy J… And for the readers who are finicky about stuff, I know I quoted Shakespeare (A rose by any other name…) and shouldn't have because he came after blah blah I don't care! It's from Romeo and Juliet, greatest love story on earth and pretty dam apt for the situation!! Hehehe
Anyway, if I do continue I may post again in a week or two depends on how much work I have to do etc. xx
