Eeeek. Chptr 25! ^_^

Chapter 25

Guy and I fled the castle in a matter of minutes. I was luckily prepared to leave, so it was a quick departure. We ran downstairs, the guards following us. A million questions filled my mind. Jacques was ready to go, thanks to the young servant boy who prepared him. Guy must have told them to get the horses ready before we left. Mounting the horses we hurried out of Nottingham. I could hear the gates closing behind us, shouts coming from the walls.

The woosh of arrows made me kick Jacques to go harder and faster. We were ahead of Guy by only a few feet; his horse wasting all its energy to get into the trees. However, we did not stop once the safety of the forest covered us. Our speed never slowed, which made it difficult to direct the horses when the forest and trees were flying so quickly by. Many times I was hit in the face by a branch, the stinging sensation lasting only a few seconds.

Locksley was in sight and we slowed. No one from Nottingham would be here yet; so we were safe for now. Putting Jacques in the stall next to Monty I looked at Guy. He looked almost scared. He got his own horse into the stall and then bent over, catching his breath.

"Guy,"

"….."

"Guy, what happened? Why did we run?"

He closed his eyes and then straightened up. He turned and opened his eyes, solemnly looking at me.

"Isabella and Hood survived. The Prince wasn't too happy, and then was easily persuaded by her. I'm no longer welcome in Nottingham. The Prince will surely see to that. And because you came with me, you'll no longer be welcome either. Who knows what they would have done to you if I'd left…"

Isabella… she's very clever. I wonder if she still intends to help Robin Hood…

"And Robin?"

Guy searched my face, and then shook his head.

"I don't know, neither do I care. I still intend to be Sherriff. And Isabella will die, that I promise."

Nodding I walked to the manor. No one was inside, so it must not be of much interest. Opening the door I walked inside, glancing around, checking corners. It was empty. No sign of life. One the lower floor at least. Climbing the stairs quietly, I checked all the rooms for any unwanted guests. And still no one was there. Heading back downstairs I turned right into Guy. I screamed and jumped back a few feet.

"Don't… do… that… ever… again."

He looked amused but quickly recovered from it.

"If the Prince pardons Isabella, he will likely keep her at the castle to keep tabs on her. We should be safe here."

I nodded and walked into my room, placing my bag of clothes on the dresser. From this room I could see the barn and the road to Nottingham. Leaning out the window, I saw a light coming from the forest.

"Guy… did you light any fires?"

Calling from another room, Guy answered.

"I was about to. Why?"

Not looking away from the light I responded uncertainly.

"I wouldn't. For now, at least. We should keep this place dark for a little while."

The light was definitely moving, getting closer to Locksley. I heard Guy walking into my room, standing behind me. He was looking out the window too, possibly seeing what I saw.

"You're right. We should watch that for a little while, just in case. If it is anything we need to worry about, I have a place for us to spend the night."

"Alright, sounds good."

We stood there watching as the light moved, thundering hooves accompanying it after a few minutes. A party of four horses rode into Locksley, right into the stables.

"Time to go."

I picked up my bag and followed Guy down the hall and down the stairs. We exited out the back door, crouching below a window; we needed to know who this was. Two guards walked in followed by two women.

Isabella looked around, taking off her riding gloves.

"What a miserable place. We'll have to change a few things; I like my things to be friendlier. Light the fires and prepare a meal."

The other women, a servant, bowed and walked into the kitchen. Isabella ordered the two guards to search upstairs and around the manor.

"If Guy was stupid enough to come here, I'd rather like to know he's bound and or dead."

Guy pulled my arm and we went into the servant's house. It was vacant, and small. Only one tiny bed and an even smaller fireplace. Placing my back on the ground I went over to the bed and sat on it. Very stiff. At this point I decided to be optimistic; at least we had a bed. Guy stood by the window, watching the manor and making sure no guards came out here.

"You can sleep there. We'll move in the morning, I intend to end Isabella's life tomorrow."

"Why are you so keen on ending it? If she's put through a lifetime of suffering, wouldn't that make things better. Although, she's smart… I wouldn't be surprised if she's got something big planned for you."

Our voices never reached higher than a whisper. By the looks of things, no one was coming out here tonight; we were safe. For now.

"I'll worry about that later. Get some sleep, you'll need it."

"So will you! You've got very little energy as it is, and you're no good to anyone sleepy. How can you expect to fight Isabella when you're tired?"

He was about to argue with me, but I wouldn't have it. He took a nap today, but when was the last time he got a full nights rest? I knew he'd been having nightmares and was close to insomnia.

"No, none of that. You sleep for a while and I'll keep watch. It's you who has to fight tomorrow, not me. Plus, I can take care of myself. You need your energy, who knows who you'll have to deal with tomorrow."

I stood up and forcefully pushed him over to the bed. He didn't provide much resistance, given the fact that if he had, I wouldn't have been able to move him. He sat down and looked at me through his eyelashes. I couldn't tell if he was angry or grateful, not that he'd ever tell me.

"Thank you… Dani. I owe you a lot, and I know at times I seem ungrateful, but I am."

I lifted an eyebrow; he must be very sleepy. I waved my hand at him and took a perch next to the window. He took off his boots and stretched out on the bed, rolling onto his side, his face towards the wall.

"Guy… what was it that you wanted to talk to me about? You know, before I went to my room you said you had to talk to me. What was it?"

He was silent for a little bit before he sighed and answered.

"Right now is not the best time to discuss it… I'd rather wait until later."

"We may not have later… but if that's what you want…"

I saddened a little. Was it something important or not so important? It would eat me alive until I figured out what he was going to talk to me about. I hoped it was nothing bad.

The manor was quiet and dark. Everyone must have gone to bed. Lucky them. I would never admit it to Guy, but I was exhausted. I could feel my eyes start to hurt. I didn't close them, for fear I wouldn't open them and fall straight asleep. I stood watch for much longer than I intended. When I was a teenager, my immune system would get very weak if I did not sleep. I got sick a lot when I babysat the kids across town. I'd lost track of time; it moved so slowly.

I didn't really think about a lot during the night. I just remember staring off into nowhere. At this point, it must have been close to three in the morning; though I'd have no way of knowing. Guy started to toss and turn, sweat beaded his forehead. Sighing I got up and walked over to him. I figured that no one would come visit us this early in the morning. No not visit, arrest or worse, kill us.

Guy cried out and I had to cover his mouth with my hand. His eyes shot open and he grappled me onto the bed, a dagger at my throat. I held my hands by my head, leaving them open. He looked dazed before he recognized me. That must have been a crazy dream.

"What are you doing, Dani?"

He removed the dagger from my throat and sat up against the wall. I awkwardly sat up, leaning on the wall adjacent to his.

"You were making noise, I had to make sure you stayed quiet…"

He frowned and nodded. He sheathed the dagger and lightly banged his head on the wall.

"I don't sleep well. Although, this night was a little better than the others; I'm usually up all night."

"What do you dream about?"

"Marian… and the mistakes I've made in the past. They haunt me, Dani. And I suspect that they will haunt me until I die."

Right… Marian… of course. A pang of both jealousy and incredible sadness wrenched my heart. I understood why he would be restless about Marian. He had killed her after all. And he has done very bad and wrong things in the past.

"This is how I look at it, Guy. Yes, you've done very bad things in the past. But you have the opportunity to do so many more things right. You can amend the wrong you've done and make a better person out of yourself…"

He looked so vulnerable and broken. I'd never seen him so clearly before, and it broke my heart.

"How can someone like me fix everything I've done? How can I condone all of the mistakes I've made?"

"You can try to help people from now on, work to make their lives better and happier. You can redeem yourself Guy, you just have to work at it."

He nodded and looked towards the ceiling. At this point I was past exhaustion. Whatever I had been running on for the past few hours was gone. I scooted down on the bed and rolled up. I closed my eyes, feeling the heat from Guy. At least I wouldn't be cold.

"You can do it Guy, and I promise you, I'll help you. Goodnight."

If I had my eyes open, I would've seen the faint smile cross his lips, but I was way too tired.

I don't know why... but I felt this chapter wasn't as exciting as my other chapters... but it is an adorable one. I. LOVE. REVIEWS. You guys are so helpful. And thank you to the Anon reader who spotted my mess up. THANK YOU.^_^