Here is the next chapter as I have had absolutely zip to do lately. Enjoy!
Chapter 14,
Betrayal,
There were only a few hours left in the night, but when Gisborne was silent Much and Allan seized the opportunity for some sleep.
The next morning came soon enough and Gisborne acted like nothing had happened, he began to stir, "Gisborne can you hear me?" Much asked,
"Much? Where are we?" He asked,
"Well we're in a cave obviously." Allan said having gotten the same response from Much yesterday,
"You haven't changed much have you Allan?" Gisborne asked directing his attention to the man in the shadows,
"With no thanks to you either." Allen replied,
"How do you feel?" Much asked trying to cease their bickering,
"Much better thank you." Gisborne replied before he looked around looking for something that was missing,
"Where's Robin?" He asked,
"That's the thing we're..."
"Prisoners." Madison interrupted,
"Who are you...no wait I know you." Gisborne said,
"How? How can you know me?" Madison asked,
"You're Madison the only English speaking Saracen I ever had the pleasure to meet." Gisborne replied,
"How can you know that?" She demanded,
"Let me jog you're memory, The Holy Lands, 1191, Acre, The Kings camp." Gisborne explained,
"No it can't be...it was you?" She asked in disbelief,
"I was surprised I knew you're voice whenever I heard it but I did not know who you were. But that was because we never saw each other's face." He answered,
"So it was you I helped when we went to kill the king huh who knew I was going to have you as my prisoner later." She said,
"Allright I understand the assassination attempt but why did you say you were King Richard's sister?" Allan asked,
"Oh believe me that much is true I am of royal blood, but I did not find that out until recently when I went to go visit my home."
Flashback,
"Good morning you're highness." I greeted,
"Madison?" The queen asked in shock, it was then when something inside of me clicked I had a flash back I knew from that day on that she was my mother.
"Mother?" I asked,
"Madison what are you doing here?" She asked me,
"I was visiting my homeland when I thought I would see if a servant was needed so I could stay here. Never did I think I would meet you." I answered; shocked that my mother had either abandoned me, or sent me away.
"It appears I'm not going to ask for a job now though now that I know I am of Royal blood." I answered,
"How could you others told me you were dead. I was forced to live in the Holy lands, suffer the same suffering everyone else knew, a suffering that was never mine." I sneered,
"And one that you will always know you are not my daughter. You are the daughter of Saladin." She said,
"What you loved our enemy?" I asked unable to understand what she had done,
The rest of my life was spent in a slave camp until John found me, at first he thought I was just another peasant until I told him I made him understand what my mother had done. In addition, ever since then we have plotted the downfall of my brother King Richard.
"Well that hardly seems good enough reason to capture us and execute us." Gisborne said, he was back the same cold hearted, man they all knew and had come to hate.
"What do you know I went with you so I could kill my brother to ensure that John would take the thrown but no Robin of Loxley he had to come and ruin things didn't he." Madison said sadistically,
"Then allow me to help you capture him." Gisborne said,
"What do you mean?" Madison asked,
"You let me out and I will deliver Hood to you." Gisborne said with a sadistic smile on his face,
"And how do you plan on doing that?" She asked clearly interested in his offer,
"Well if Hood came to save me the first time then what's he going to do when he sees me in the forest alone." Guy said emphasizing the word "alone",
"You know you're right he would come wouldn't he." Madison said aloud finding Gisborne's word to hard to resist,
"And what do you want in return?" She finally asked,
"All I want in return is to watch the outlaws hang." Gisborne replied,
"Deal you may watch them hand and I will even put in a bonus I will speak to Prince John and say that you aided me from the beginning and we caught them together he will believe me." Madison said as she retrieved her key, Gisborne tried to rise but found protest, however he managed to rise to his feet, he was unsteady for a few moments but it soon cleared, as he walked out of the cell.
"How can you do this Guy?" Much asked hurt,
"Maybe you should have let me die but you chose to help me can't say I would do the same for you though." He said as he showed a small smile of accomplishment,
"I can't say how long I will be but I shall have Hood here one way or the other." Gisborne said as he began to put on his shirt,
"You know what I will do to you if you lie to me?" Madison warned,
"You never change do you Madison, if I can recall correctly it was I who was saying it to you last time." He replied ignoring her warning as he continued to dress,
"I need a horse bareback." Gisborne said,
"Why bareback?" She asked,
"Well if it was saddled they would suspect something wouldn't they." He said offering logic,
"You're right take the mare." She ordered,
"You never did change did you not even apologizing for torturing me." He said as he swung himself painfully onto the bare back of Madison's mare,
"You never changed either Guy just as ruthless as before, you were ready to kill your own king and now you're ready and able to betray the men who saved you're life." She replied,
"I never asked them too, I need a weapon." He muttered loud enough for her to hear him,
"Here take this dagger it has a few notches but I'm sure you have more." She said as she looked directly into his eyes as she handed it to him, she gave him a kind look as they touched hands, this lasted only a moment before Gisborne slipped it through his belt and walked his horse out of the caves mouth.
He was glad to be out, but his head was swimming, and it took him several minutes to regain his composure, but when he did, he was ready for the task he had laid out infront of him. He knew it would be hard but he found a sense of duty a strange feeling he had never felt before, that was driving him to the point of actually attempting it.
Even though Gisborne had the horse at a walk, the loss of the saddle, and the horses ridged back, made all the difference to the ride, if he was in the mood for rest he would have accepted the fact that he was nowhere near ready to travel, but he had to find Robin.
The pain was already unbearable, but minutes later, which found him deep in the heart of the forest, it found him loosing his grip on the horse's mane, "Robin!" He called, "Robin where are you?" He called again, but he was answered by a cracking of a branch, he immediately drew the dagger he had been given, and scanned his surroundings for the figure.
"Where are you?" He called out, "You're a coward to hide yourself." He continued, but darkness greeted him when he was struck violently on the back of the head,
"Where I have been for the last 5 minutes." Was a scruffy, strong looking mans reply, after he watched Gisborne fall from his horse and lose grip on his dagger,
Madison's cave,
"I can't believe he did this to us." Much said as he paced around the cell,
"Oi what's going on we stayed up all night caring for him and this is how he repays us." Allan said angrily,
"I knew we shouldn't have done it I knew this was going to happen." He quickly added,
"You should give up complaining about him." Madison said,
"Why do you know what we went through with him?" Much asked,
"No and I really don't care but I could foresee this coming because I have know him longer than you have." She replied,
"And believe me when I say he's going to enjoy watching you die." She added,
"How do you know him so well?" Allan asked,
"Because I knew him when I was a younger, we did many things together, we went on our first mission together, with no more trust for each other, than the safety a sparrow has in a vulture's nest." She explained,
"And when we went to kill the King, that was different, because we knew each other better than we did before." She said,
"Oh yes that's why you feel more betrayed isn't it you expected him to show gratitude towards you because you tattled to him about Robin didn't you?" She asked as well as teasing,
"The past is the past for a reason why don't you leave it there." Allan ordered,
"But you Much I don't understand why you feel so betrayed, tell me why don't you because I don't understand." Madison pleaded cruelly,
"It's called you save my life, I'll save yours because I'm indebted to you." Much said showing irritation,
"Oh wait I understand it's because you've been a servant for so long you expect a tad of loyalty from you're master." Madison mocked,
"Well take it from me the only one he's loyal to is himself, and if he can save himself by betraying others then you believe me he will, take this small predicament for instance, here you are still in the cell, and he's going off to get me Hood, uncanny isn't it." She teased,Wait
Maybe Guy was never meant to change, and maybe he will never rest until he sees Robin and his outlaws destroyed. Or is something else going on?
Wait for the next chapter to see what happens!