Gisborne galloped for a long time before daring to stop the horse to allow Allan to pull himself up. He freed his hands cutting the rope and the young man turned to look at him, stunned.

"Marian?" Allan asked, recognizing the costume of the Nightwatchman and Gisborne laughed.

"Do I look like Marian, in your opinion?" He asked, taking off the mask and getting an even more surprised look from Allan.

"Giz!"

Guy raised his hand to silence him.

"Wait."

They were silent for a while, listening carefully to the sounds of the forest, then Guy made the horse move again.

"I don't think we're being followed." He said softly. "But we must keep going. Are you hurt? Can you ride?"

Allan slipped the noose from his neck, looked at it in disgust and was about to throw it away, then he thought it was best not to leave traces and he put it in one of the bags attached to the saddle.

"It wasn't any fun, but I'm still alive and not too hurt. And in order not to fall into the hands of the sheriff again, I am also ready to ride all night."

"Take the reins, then."

Allan did so, a bit surprised.

"Why?"

Gisborne leaned against him and put his arms around Allan waist.

"Because I'm going to faint." He said, weakly.

"Did they hit you?" Allan asked, worried.

"No."

Guy closed his eyes and pressed his face against Allan's back: after the tension had subsided, the strenght had suddenly left him, the wounds had begun to hurt again and only now he was beginning to be really aware of what he had just done.

Allan took the reins with one hand and used the other to hold onto the arms of Gisborne around his waist.

"Well, my friend, rest as long as you want, I won't let you fall."

Robin put down his bow and gestured to the others to retreat.

By now, Gisborne's horse had had ample time to get away into the forest and the sheriff's soldiers would no longer be able to reach him.

He cast a last look at the confusion that reigned in Locksley. Vaisey's men were flailing, unable to regroup to chase the fugitives and the sheriff had been struggling in the puddle of mud in which he had fallen until a soldier helped him back on his feet.

Sir Edward, fortunately, had the foresight to take cover as soon as he realized the situation.

Robin allowed himself a laugh at seeing the sheriff shouting, furious, covered with mud from head to foot and he laughed even harder imagining the face the sheriff would do if he knew who had pushed him off the platform.

Robin followed the other outlaws, still incredulous for the scene he had witnessed.

When Djaq had told him about Gisborne's intentions, Robin hadn't given much thought to her words. The black knight was a broken man, broken in body and mind.

The previous night he had let him free to go away for that reason: Guy of Gisborne no longer had the strength or the will to be a threat. Robin had thought that sooner or later Guy would end completely crazy or that he would take his own life. Robin had no desire to witness such a humiliating end although in the past he had often wished for the death of his enemy.

Instead Gisborne had managed to surprise him.

Robin had listened to the words of Tuck and Djaq and he had agreed to go with them to Locksley. After some hesitation even Much and Will had decided to go with them, while Little John had firmly refused.

Robin had made it clear that the rescue of Marian was more important and that he would not risk the lives of any of them for Allan and Gisborne.

They would intervene only if it would be possible to do so safely, but Robin didn't think that their presence could make a difference because he thought that Gisborne would do nothing or that, if he did, it would be just the act of a desperate man looking for a quick death.

When he saw the Nightwatchman, Robin was left speechless and for a moment he thought that Marian had managed to escape from captivity on her own.

When he realized it was Gisborne to hide under the guise of the Nightwatchman, Robin had realized that the black knight wasn't trying to end his life, but that his was a real attempt to save Allan: it was reckless, foolish and perhaps desperate, but with a certain logic.

Gisborne was ready to risk his life, but he hoped to survive, otherwise he wouldn't have bothered to cover his face to conceal his identity.

Robin looked at him galloping at full speed among the soldiers and he found himself thinking that it was a gesture that could be expected from Marian or that he could make himself, but that was completely unexpected from Gisborne.

In that moment he had nocked an arrow and he had ordered his gang to imitate him, then he had targeted the sheriff's archers, ready to cover the escape of Allan and Gisborne.

When he saw them disappear at a gallop through the trees, Robin had discovered that he felt relieved. Maybe those two were his enemies, but he had had no desire to see them die in that way at the hands of the sheriff.

Guy saw the sheriff who lunged at him to hit him with the sword, and he awoke with a start. He found out he was still on horseback, leaning against Allan's back.

He didn't remember much of what happened after they had fled into the forest, only short fragments of confused memories mixed with much more vivid and frightening dreams. As they rode in the moonlit forest, Guy had continued to slide in and out of a fitful doze and he had been conscious only for brief intervals.

Allan felt him move and turned his head to look over his shoulder.

"Hey, are you awake, Giz?"

Guy straightened on the saddle, moving away from Allan's back.

"Yes, now I am. Sorry."

"You saved my neck, literally. Sleep as well as you want and I'll certainly won't complain."

"Where are we?"

"Not too far from Robin Hood's camp. Or at least I think so. There is the moon, but in the dark it still isn't easy to find the way."

"We're not welcome there, Allan. Neither you, nor I."

The other shrugged.

"Do you have any better ideas? When the sun rises the sheriff's men will hunt us and we both need to get our strength back. Maybe he doesn't like us, but I hope that Robin won't refuse to give us shelter for a while."

Guy said nothing. He had no desire to ask for help from Robin Hood, but Allan had a point, they were both injured and exhausted and they couldn't wander aimlessly in the forest, risking of being caught again by the sheriff.

He let Allan to find the way and he hoped they wouldn't have to deal with too many arguments when they would reach the camp. He felt so tired that he just wanted to lie down somewhere and sleep.

"It took you a lot of time to get here." A voice from the shadows said, startling them.

Neither of them had noticed the presence of Robin until he had spoken.

"Hood?" Gisborne looked at him, amazed at his words. "You've been waiting for us?"

"Djaq feared that the sheriff's men were able to capture you."

"At night it is not so easy to find the way." Allan said, dismounting. He glanced at Gisborne to make sure he had the strength to stand up on his own, but the other dismounted without problems. If he was going to faint again, at least he did not show it.

Robin looked at Guy and he shook his head with a half smile, in disbelief.

"The Nightwatchman, uh?"

"Yep."

"Where did you get the costume?"

"I went to Locksley to look for it. I knew it had to be in Marian's room."

Robin stared at him.

"How did you find out?"

Guy looked away. He didn't want to think back to that moment, to the despair and the terror he had felt after hitting Marian, the confession of the girl and the heartbreaking sweetness of the kiss that followed, the only and last one that he would ever have from her.

"She told me." He just said, and fortunately Robin Hood made no further questions, but merely lead them to the entrance of the camp.