"Will he live?" The Sheriff of Nottingham asked dispassionately, his arms crossed carelessly across his chest. The physician lifted his head from his work on Guy of Gisborne's wound and regarded him with a sardonic eye. The Sheriff resisted the urge to kill the man instantly. He didn't bother to disguise his hate, but he was the best physician left in Nottingham and Vaysey couldn't afford to lose Gisborne right now.
"I would suggest you summon his family." The physician spoke quietly and slowly with a hint of derision.
"How about I summon your family instead?" The Sheriff threatened, scowling at the insufferable man. The mocking expression slipped a little as the physician swallowed visibly.
"The wound is serious, my lord. I am not sure whether he will live. I have cleaned and sewn the wound. I shall give him a sleeping draft so we may be sure of his rest. The less he moves, the better his chances." The physician turned back to the wound, securing the bandage he had just applied. He began preparing the draft as the Sheriff flounced out of the room, muttering something about lepers.
Marian was slowly wearing a hole in the floor of the camp, pacing back and forth impatiently. John sat quietly watching her, his face impassive. Marian sighed, irritated. Robin, Much and Allan had gone to Locksley and Nottingham to find out what had happened to Gisborne and Robin had banished her from coming with them. He had even had the nerve to leave John to guard her.
A high-pitched giggle emitted from behind Will and Djaq's curtain followed by a low chuckle and Marian reluctantly allowed herself to smile. Robin had insisted that those two enjoy their honeymoon while they could. He'd told them that he didn't want to see them before at least noon. She looked over at John and he shrugged. He stood up and the two of them left the camp, giving the couple some privacy.
They returned to the camp about an hour later to find Will and Djaq sitting by the fire, looking very dishevelled and eating as though they hadn't seen food in a week. Marian and John raised their eyebrows at the couple, who smiled back sheepishly.
"Robin hasn't been back?" Djaq asked. Marian just shook her head and sat herself down next to them. She poked at the fire absent-mindedly for a few moments. A strange sensation caused her to look up and she saw Will and Djaq staring at her.
"What?"
"Relax. It'll be okay. Robin's just..." Djaq trailed off, unsure of the word that would describe Robin's recent actions.
"He's just being Robin." Will finished for her. He continued in a conspiratorial tone. "I think he's jealous that he wasn't the one to finally get Gisborne."
"I shouldn't have done it. I let my anger get the better of me and now the Sheriff will probably take it out on the people of Locksley."
"That's why Robin went there first." Will replied.
"I've got to make a few drops." John announced. "Can I leave you three alone without you getting into trouble?"
Marian rolled her eyes and Djaq stuck out her tongue at John as he grinned and exited the camp. Marian got up and paced some more. Eventually she stopped and sighed.
"That's it. I'm going after Robin. He should have been back by now." She hurried out of the camp as Djaq and Will scrambled up from their seats, dropping their food in the process, and hurried after her.
"Marian! This is madness! Robin said to stay here!" Will shouted after her, exasperated.
"Do you always do everything Robin tells you to do?" She asked. She was almost running to stay ahead of them.
"No, but this time you should listen to him!" Will was taking great long strides to try and catch up with her, leaving Djaq to run behind him. Marian finally broke into a run, forcing Will to do the same. They were already quite far from the camp. As they came upon a road, Will caught up with her and gently grabbed her arm. "Please, Marian. Let's go back to the camp."
Djaq finally caught up with the two of them and watched as they tried to stare each other down. She gave an exasperated sigh. "What are you going to do, Marian?"
"I'll save you that decision, dear, and invite you to the castle instead!" Marian, Will and Djaq's heads whipped around at the sound of the Sheriff's voice to see a large group of mounted guards galloping towards them. "I didn't expect it to be this easy to find you! And here you are, walking out into the road right in front of me."
As the group were surrounded, they knew they had no chance of escape. Will and Djaq were unarmed and Marian thought they had a better chance of escaping if she kept her daggers concealed. They resignedly let the guards bind their hands with rope and lead them down the road towards Nottingham.
The physician watched anxiously as Sir Guy of Gisborne tossed and turned on his bed. He was desperately trying to hold the man still, but a fever had gripped him and he was hallucinating and having wild dreams. He was crying out for Lady Marian, sometimes apologising to her, sometimes cursing her. He was also calling out Robin Hood's name, though the physician could not figure out what sort of dream Gisborne was having about Robin. He seemed tormented by these particular dreams, but said nothing much more than "Locksley" or "Hood".
He knew that he could not give his patient any more sleeping draught, or he would risk killing him, so the best he could do was try and hold him still and wait for the fever to break. He summoned the guard that was stationed outside the door and asked him to hold down Gisborne while he located some more cool water and cloth to try and bring his temperature down.
Silence descended on the marketplace as the Sheriff's three captives were paraded through it. He lead the procession, his black clothes making a stark comparison with his white horse and a smug expression on his face. He spotted one young woman staring at them in horror, the basket of laundry in her arms seemingly forgotten, and leant down toward her.
"What's the matter? Not pleased that I have captured some murdering, thieving outlaws?" He spat at her. She lowered her eyes to the ground and took a step backwards into the crowd that was forming around the procession. The Sheriff laughed triumphantly and continued into the castle courtyard, dismounting when he reached the steps.
"Straight to the dungeons, if you please." He told the guards. "And no need to be gentle to the ladies."
He turned away just in time to miss the murderous look Will sent his way. A guard cuffed Will around the head and gave him a push. "Get a move on!"
One of the stallholders in the market frowned as the crowd dispersed. There was a basket of laundry sitting on the ground next to his stall. He looked around for a possible owner, but didn't see anyone. He went over and picked it up, setting down inside his stall for safekeeping in case someone returned for it.
"Martha! Martha!" Allan sighed in frustration. It had taken him a whole hour spent with Martha to soften her up enough to allow him to kiss her and now some girl was interrupting them. Martha pushed him away from her and hurried out of the vegetable patch towards the sound of the voice. She could hear the panic in Julia's voice. As she rounded the corner of the house, she spotted the woman running at full speed towards her. She also spotted Robin exiting another house and coming towards them, frowning. The woman fell into her arms, panting heavily. "Martha! The Sheriff!"
"What is it, Julia? What's wrong?"
"He has caught Lady Marian, Djaq and Will!" She gasped.
"What?!" Robin shouted, the chickens in the pen next to them clucking nervously at the loud noise. "Allan! Much! We've got to go!"
Much came out of the same house that Robin had come from and followed his master as he went to liberate some of Gisborne's horses. Martha watched as, moments later, the three men galloped out of the village. She was still holding on to Julia, who had just got her breath back. Julia suddenly turned to her with a look of sorrow. "I hope my laundry's still there! Mother will kill me."
Will and Djaq watched Marian pacing in front of them. They were huddled into a corner of the cell they'd been put into, Djaq snuggling up close to Will and her arms around his body to keep warm and to have a bit of comfort and reassurance from the proximity, Will with his arm around her shoulders. Marian stopped pacing a moment and looked at the couple clutching onto each other.
"I'm so sorry." She told them. "You two should be – "
"Don't finish that sentence, please, I might vomit." Marian turned to face the Sheriff who had managed to sneak up on them once again. "Bad news, I'm afraid. Gisborne is dead. All three of you will hang tomorrow. Have a nice night."
He grinned sycophantically at them before turning on his heel and sweeping out of the dungeon. Marian held on to the bars as she felt her legs go weak underneath her. She couldn't quite believe that this was all happening. She slid down to the floor as she felt a tear run down her cheek.
"Marian." Will murmured behind her after a moment. She turned her head towards him. He held out his hand to her in invitation and she shuffled over to him. He pulled her into his side and she mirrored Djaq's position, wrapping her arms around his waist and over Djaq's arms. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and she understood why Djaq had not moved from his side all this time – his body was warm and his arm was very comforting. She reached up and touched Djaq's cheek, Djaq smiling tremulously in response, then laid her head against Will's chest. Will kissed Djaq's forehead and the two women felt his voice rumble deep in his chest as he reassured them, "Robin will save us. He always does."