Chapter Ten

Allan made his way deep into the parts of the castle only the servants ever came to, Guy close on his heels. Thank God words of what had just transpired upstairs had not yet reached these parts, or else they would have not made it through unscathed.

While passing through a kitchen Allan grabbed a loaf of bread and some cheese from a table. He only earned a few mildly curious stares and one slap on the hand from the cook. Guy watched the exchange and then stole a loaf of bread for himself.

He did not get slapped; the cook seemed to be too frightened of him. So Guy simply added a flask of wine and two apples to his purchases and strolled out as if he didn't have a care in the world.

He almost walked into Allan who had stopped just outside the kitchen.

"What…?"

"Shhht," Allan shushed him and then motioned to the corner. Silently they crept along the walls and peeked around the bend.

Two guards stood there, and from the looks on their faces Guy and Allan just knew that those two would not simply let them pass. They had heard the news already.

Guy was about to put the food down and draw his sword when Allan stopped him with a shake of his head and a motion to wait. And, sure enough, when Guy once again looked around the corner the two guards were just going in the other direction.

Allan waited for a few seconds more, then he slowly crept on and Guy followed. To their right an almost invisible door suddenly appeared and Allan pushed it open with his foot and slipped through. Guy went after him.

It was a very small storeroom that they'd entered, no more than two feet wide and three feet long, and the walls were lines with shelves. Allan put the food he carried onto one of the shelves and then turned and locked the door after Guy. Guy put his armload down, too.

"What now?" he asked finally.

"We should wait here for nightfall," Allan replied and sat down on the stone floor. "There's a sewer access just around the next corner. Come night we'll escape through there."

"Through the sewer?" Guy didn't like the idea very much. Then again, there was nothing so far that he liked about the latest developments. Well, perhaps seeing Allan punch Vaisey in the face, that had been a sight for sore eyes.

He tried to lead his mind back to the present. "We go now, there's no use in waiting for night."

"Don't be daft, Giz," Allan threw back. "They won't expect us to linger here and come nightfall the Sheriff will have most of the guards searching the nearby villages and the forest. Much easier for us to slip out of the castle then."

Guy had to admit that Allan might be right. The Sheriff wouldn't think they'd dare to hide in the castle. And in the dark it would be much easier to slip out and… and then what? Guy had no idea what to do next. Where should he go? What should he do? He was a knight! He wouldn't hide in the forest, like Robin Hood.

Guy let out a deep sigh and slid down to the ground. He came to sit across from Allan and he could see that the former outlaw was watching him curiously. He closed his eyes. The gravity of their situation was beginning to sink in and take its toll.

What had he done? And why? And what would he do now?

"So," Allan's voice had Guy open his eyes again. "Are you finally gonna tell me what happened or do you want me to make a good guess?"

Guy let out a huff. "Guess away, by all means."

"I reckon this has something to do with Marian sneaking away in the middle of the night, huh?"

Guy closed his eyes again. He could not bear to think of her right now.

"So, you proposed to her, again. Right? And she probably told you…"

"She told me nothing," Guy whispered, lost in memories of her face the moment he'd pleaded with her to marry him. "She just… she just ran away. I lost her for good."

"Oh," Allan frowned. "So she didn't tell you then… she… oh. Well."

"Wait!" Guy's eyes suddenly snapped open. "How do you know I proposed to her?"

"Errr," Allan tried to think of something to say. He couldn't tell Guy…

"Answer me!" Guy had leaned forward and in the smallness of the room was right in his face. He grabbed Allan by his shirt and shook him.

"I don't… I just…" Allan stopped and let out a sigh. Then he made up his mind and looked Guy square in the eyes. "She told me, okay?"

"She told you." Guy stared at him. "She told you? You saw Marian last night, after…? You saw her and you didn't tell me?"

"Guy, look…" Allan held up his hands. "I didn't tell you last night, because she asked me to. But I'm telling you now."

"What did she say?" Guy wanted to know. "Where is she now? Did she tell you? Where is she?"

"I don't know," Allan answered, and it was the truth. He didn't really know. He suspected that Marian would go to Robin in the forest, but he didn't really know, did he? Marian hadn't said.

And therefore Allan saw no need to tell Guy. He didn't want to add to the man's burdens right now, Guy had enough on his plate as it was.

The morning sun was hidden behind thick clouds when Robin and his gang, like every other week, went to Locksley to distribute food among the villagers. John and Much were handing out their last pieces of bread and meat and Robin was watching them. He thought they should probably get a move on if they wanted to return to camp before the rain started.

Robin was just about to say his goodbyes to the servant from the Manor he'd been talking to when suddenly a squad of riders entered the village, coming from Nottingham. Robin quickly hid beside the stables' entrance. He saw John and Much dash into one of the village houses.

Robin counted six riders, all of them the Sheriff's men. The leader dismounted his horse and came in determined strides over to Thornton who'd come out of the Manor house. Robin couldn't hear what they were talking about, he was too far away, but he saw Thornton quickly go round and assemble the villagers in the village square.

Obviously the Sheriff's men had a proclamation to read to the people. Robin briefly wondered why Gisborne wasn't there to do it. He claimed to be acting Lord of Locksley, did he not? So, where was he then?

Robin pulled his hood deep over his head and crept closer to the village square. There he hid among the people and watched the leader of the guard unroll a scroll.

"People of Locksley," he read out loud. "Let it be known that from this day on Sir Guy of Gisborne is no longer standing as Lord of Locksley or master at arms for the Sheriff of Nottingham."

What?

Robin had no time to be confused because the guard went on reading: "Guy of Gisborne is stripped of all his titles and is now pronounced an outlaw for crimes against the Sheriff of Nottingham and the Crown. Locksley village and its people will as of today fall under the jurisdiction of Nottingham until a new Lord of the Manor is announced. Anyone who is found aiding Guy of Gisborne, or his man Allan A' Dale, will be found guilty of treason, for which they will be hanged. Thus I decree, Vaisey, Sheriff of Nottingham."

The guard rolled up the scroll again and gave it to Thornton but Robin paid no more attention to the on-goings in the village square. He was shocked and lost in his own thoughts.

What the hell had just happened? Gisborne, decreed an outlaw? He couldn't believe it. What had he done? What crime had he committed? Well, Robin could think of a few from the top of his head. Attempted murder of the King of England, conspiring against said King as a Black Knight, treason… just to name a few, but Gisborne had done that together with the Sheriff and in his name.

What had he done now, to all of a sudden lose the Sheriff's favour? It had to be something huge or else the Sheriff would not have dismissed his right-hand-man like that. Stripped of all his titles, and outlawed. That was basically a death sentence.

What had Gisborne done, Robin mused, tried to kill the Sheriff?

Would Marian know? She had been pretty close to Gisborne lately (much too close for Robin's liking), so… she should know, right? Another thought suddenly struck him. Had Marian perhaps done something stupid and Gisborne was now taking the fall for her? No, he immediately dismissed the idea again. Gisborne wouldn't act so gallantly. Not even for Marian's sake, right?

But then… what had happened? And why had Marian not sent word? Why had she not come?

Robin decided there and then to go to the castle and ask her.

Little did he know that he wouldn't find her there.

I'm not really happy with this short chapter. It's kind of pointless, it only serves as a filler to let you know that a) Allan saw Marian before she went away; b) Guy and Allan are outlaws now; and c) Marian didn't go to Robin in the forest. But where is she? You'll find out next weekend, for I hope that I will have the next part done by then. Tomorrow I have to go back to work and so I won't have as much time to write as before. But I'll try.