There was a sense of change in the air as the first signs of Spring appeared. The flowers had started to bloom and trees were gaining new leaves, while the days were getting longer. The fields were full of new life, and Alyss loved seeing the new lambs frolic in the grass. Things were going well for Nettleworth, and she had not felt this content for a very long time. Since Gisburne had agreed to marry her, he had done everything he could to improve the manor. Alyss no longer had to worry about the day-to-day chores, for a pair of servants had been hired to deal with the cooking and cleaning, and Guy had taken on the accounts. This had freed up a lot of her time, and so she spent most of it with her people. If she wasn't needed to help with something, then she would sit with Eleanor while they embroidered dresses and talked about the future. Of course, everyone was hoping to hear news about the Interdict, and there were rumours spreading that it may be lifted soon. Alyss could only pray that they were true, for she wished to give her father a proper funeral, and she wanted to marry Guy. She had more than waited long enough to be with the man she loved, and she was growing tired of not having a set date.

"Are you sure about tomorrow?" Sir Guy asked as he joined Alyss by the stream at the edge of the village. It was one of her favourite spots to sit and watch the world go by, and she smiled slightly as he sat next to her.

"The taxes need taking, and it would be good to speak with the tailor. I could do with a new gown, and… well, it will do us no harm to be prepared for whenever the Interdict is lifted." Alyss replied as she watched a couple of ducklings follow their mother into the water.

"I still cannot truly believe you want me to be your husband." He paused as she rested her head on his shoulder. "I've wanted you to be my wife for so long…"

"Hopefully it won't be too much longer." She agreed, knowing that the knight was just as frustrated as she was about the lack of church services.

"Your people have no issue with us, do they?"

"There are still one or two who aren't sure, but they'll soon come around." She assured him. "But our people will accept you as their new lord. They know that this was my choice and I was not forced into it. If they are wary then it is only because they are very protective of me. I mean, most of them have known me since I was a baby."

"I suppose many have not forgiven me for stealing you away…" He mused.

"That was a long time ago now." She sighed. "Is everything ready for the journey?"

"It is. Osric has gone to fetch horses from the next village, and the bags are packed. Eleanor dropped some clothes around earlier, though I am still confused as to why you wish to travel in disguise. Surely it would be better to…"

"It is to protect us both." Alyss told him as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "There are many an outlaw who roam the woods, and if we travel as peasants then we should not be targets."

"Is that why I cannot take my horse?"

"Fury is too recognisable." Gisburne sighed. "Though a magnificent creature. If it was not for the fact that we will be taking the taxes, I would not be going to such trouble."

"You could stay here, where it is safe." He suggested, but Alyss glared at him. They had already had this argument at least a dozen times in the last few days, and she would not back down. Though she understood why Guy was so concerned about taking her through Sherwood, she could not get him to realise that this was why she was going with him.

"I would not rest until you returned." She pointed out. "Sherwood is dangerous for me, but deadly for you. The outlaws…"

"You still have not told me if certain ones roam these woods." He paused. "You have mentioned one of them, but not…"

"I have heard rumours only." She stated as she got to her feet. "I need to make sure I have everything required for tomorrow."

"Alyss?" Guy queried, but she was already gone.

The journey to Nottingham passed quickly and quietly, for which the two nobles were grateful. They had set off from Nettleworth at first light, accompanied by Edmund and Osric, and all had been alert as they rode through Sherwood. Alyss had been very quiet, and Guy had no doubt that she was remembering her escape from the castle. He offered her a reassuring smile every now and again, but both were relieved to reach the town walls. Heading straight for the castle, it was not long before Osric was stabling the horses and Edmund was reporting for duty. Gisburne helped Alyss dismount, and the pair of them looked around the courtyard in silence. Alyss had not been here since Gisburne's trial, and she was more than a little hesitant to go inside. She had no doubt that this would be even stranger for Sir Guy, for the castle had been his home for years and he had been forced to abandon it overnight. She looked at him and found he was smiling slightly, before they headed inside.

De Rainault was lounging in his chair at the head of the Great Hall, drinking wine from a pewter goblet while shouting at an unfortunate peasant who was petitioning something or other. Alyss hesitated by the door, suddenly unsure as to why she had insisted on bringing the money herself when the Sheriff undoubtedly blamed her for the absence of his steward, while Gisburne looked around curiously. Though it had not changed much at first sight, as he took closer look at the tapestries on the walls and the platters the servants were carrying, he knew that the Sheriff's fortunes were failing. He smiled, before stepping to one side to let the unfortunate peasant escape.

"What is it that you two want?" The Sheriff asked as he caught sight of them. "Don't just stand there! I don't have all day!" Alyss took a deep breath before walking up towards the table, the tax money in the bag she was carrying. Gisburne followed her, and wondered why De Rainault had not recognised him yet.

"My lord Sheriff, the tax money from Nettleworth." Alyss said as she placed the bag on the table in front of him.

"Since when is the tax money delivered by peasants?" De Rainault asked as he opened the bag. "It had best all be there."

"I can assure you that it is my lord." The Sheriff tilted his head to one side as he regarded her curiously, and then grinned widely as he recognised her.

"Lady Alyss of Nettleworth. You travelled all this way just to deliver the taxes?" He frowned. "But you never leave your home, unless... Have your fortunes changed? Have you come to seek work? Or are you going to cost me another steward?" He paused, while Alyss bit her tongue, for she hated the Sheriff with a passion. "I can assure you that there is no work or shelter here in the castle for you. There isn't even Gisburne to protect you. He was foolish enough to trust you and now he's probably gone and gotten himself killed in France…"

"I am not seeking work De Rainault." She interrupted. "My clothes were purely to ensure my safety while travelling through Sherwood, for it is still full of outlaws that you and your men have failed to deal with." She explained calmly, while Gisburne chuckled quietly. The Sheriff looked angry, for it seemed that she had touched a nerve.

"Well if Gisburne were here then…"

"Then what my lord?" Sir Guy asked, and the Sheriff finally took note of her companion. Alyss smiled as De Rainault stared at the man, a mix of confusion and rage on his face. "I mean, I have heard much about my replacements, and it seems you have not had much luck. Between getting themselves killed and pilfering your treasury, you really have suffered since you fired me."

"I had no option. The king would have hanged you if you had not…" De Rainault sighed, defeated. "Have you come to seek your old job back, Guy?"

"No." The knight stated. "I came to escort the Lady Alyss. Now that you have the taxes, we can be on our way home."

"Home? This is your home." The Sheriff said as the pair turned to leave.

"Nettleworth is my home now." Gisburne pointed out.

"What?" De Rainault asked, surprised.

"Sir Guy is to be the new lord of Nettleworth." Alyss explained. "That is why we have come to Nottingham today, for we wish to have words with the tailor."

"What?" De Rainault repeated, while Guy chuckled, far too amused at the situation as he had rarely seen the Sheriff so confused.

"We are to marry." Alyss stated, and the Sheriff shook his head.

"There is no way that the king would…"

"The King has agreed to it." Sir Guy pointed out. "I asked him myself. It seems that my time in Normandy was not pointless after all." The Sheriff did not say anything, and so the pair walked towards the exit. They had barely reached the stairs when they heard him call out.

"Wait! It is a long journey to Nettleworth, and I am certain you will not wish to travel through Sherwood in this weather." He said, and Alyss sighed as she saw that it was raining heavily outside. "You may stay here for tonight." Guy looked at Alyss curiously, and she bowed her head for she knew he spoke sense.

"That is most kind." Gisburne said. "Now, if you will excuse us?"

"Of course."

The pair reached the outside of the castle gate before laughing. Alyss was somewhat relieved, while Gisburne was amused at the Sheriff's confusion. Both hated the man for different reasons, and yet indirectly he had brought them together. After all, had he not told Gisburne to get the tax money by any means possible all those years ago, then things might have been entirely different. Alyss would not have gone to Nottingham, and would probably have been married off to the highest bidder years ago. The noblewoman smiled, before realising that they should probably get to the tailors. Though it had been years since he had last been in the town, Gisburne had no issue in walking through the streets and they were soon stood inside the tailor's house, warming themselves by the fire as they explained exactly what they wanted.

"Those should not take too long, and I can have them delivered to Nettleworth for no extra cost." The tailor said a few hours later. Alyss had been bombarded with a number of questions regarding dresses and cloaks and various other items, and then there had been the decisions to make about the fabric and colours, so she was somewhat glad to find that they were nearly done. Gisburne had happily chosen a couple of new outfits, while she had deliberated over what she was going to wear on her wedding day. It did not help that she had fallen in love with a forest green cloth from Lincoln, but she knew she could not afford it on top of the blue dress she had ordered. Sighing, she wandered towards the door, completely oblivious to the fact that Guy was still talking to the tailor, and she looked outside to find that the rain had stopped. For that she was glad, for she had no wish to get soaked through again.

"Thank you very much." Guy wished as he joined Alyss. "I have no doubt we will be doing business again soon."

"Good day to you my lord, my lady." The pair headed back to the castle then, and though Alyss was glad that they had sorted out one of the major things for their wedding, she could not be entirely happy. After all, they still had no idea when it was going to be, and she wished that she had been able to buy a whole new wardrobe. She had been wearing and repairing the same dresses for years now, and the only consoling thought was that she could wear her wedding dress again after the big day.

"It'll be alright my lady. I promise you." Guy told her as he took her hand in his. He thought that she was worried about spending the night in the castle, and she had no wish to dissuade him, for that too was bothering her.

The evening did not go as badly as Alyss had thought it would. It seemed that the Sheriff's main motive for having them stay was to find out how Guy had survived in Normandy and what he had done since. Alyss was more than happy to sit quietly and listen to the pair talk as old friends. It seemed that the Sheriff truly had not fared so well after Guy had left, for the new steward had stolen tax money, and the one after that had survived only a week in the new job before he had been killed by outlaws. De Rainault had also fallen out of favour with the king, but was doing what he could to keep the shire running smoothly. The Sheriff was incredibly curious as to why Guy had decided to live in Nettleworth though, and Alyss smiled as the knight explained just how long ago he had made the decision.

"I knew I wanted to be there ever since the lady Alyss rescued me from the road." Gisburne explained. "It is a change from the busy life here, but it has a beauty about it. I can understand why Alyss never wanted to leave it."

"And I take it that the Lady has no objections to your new status?" The Sheriff asked.

"None. I was surprised when Sir Guy kept his promise to me, but I am grateful that he wished to stay as my husband." The knight smiled at her, and De Rainault looked between the pair.

"Tell me just one thing."

"My lord?" Guy asked.

"Just how long have the pair of you been in love?" Alyss took a sip from her drink, while Guy shook his head.

"It has been for quite a while now I believe."

"So at the trial?"

"It is true that we had not conspired to harm Hugh of Dunwich." Alyss said. "But I believe we had discovered the depths of our feelings at that point." De Rainault laughed in disbelief.

"Well, that is a surprise. You kept up the act of hating the man very well my lady." The Sheriff complimented. "Though I am glad that you are settling down Gisburne. Are you certain that you do not wish to return to your job here?"

"I have other, more important things to attend to now Sheriff." Guy told him as a servant topped up their drinks.

"Well, that is a shame. But I hope the pair of you have a good life, and you shall have to invite me to your wedding." He paused. "A toast, to the pair of you." They drank from their goblets, before Alyss yawned. She had no idea what time it was, but it had been a rather long day, and she could feel the wine go to her head. Guy noticed and got to his feet.

"We should be retiring, for we have quite a journey ahead of us tomorrow."

"Of course." The Sheriff waved his hand and a servant appeared before them. "I shall wish you both a good night."

Gisburne found that he could not sleep that night. Though tired from the day's events, every time he closed his eyes, he was bombarded with memories of his time here. The last time he had been in the castle was for his trial, and he shivered at the recollection. He had not been treated kindly during his stay in the dungeons, and then he had faced worse horrors on the battlefield. The only thing that had kept him going was the thought of returning to the woman he loved, and he felt incredibly lucky to be able to spend each and everyday with her now. Though she still could not understand why he would fall for her, he was doing his best to make her see that she deserved the world. He would do anything to make her happy, and he sincerely hoped that they would get to be the family he had dreamt of for so long. All he could do now was focus on the future, and he had no wish to be in Nottingham for any longer than was necessary. If anything, the few hours spent talking with the Sheriff had made him realise just how glad he was to have escaped the castle. He certainly could not imagine returning to his former position now, especially when he had plenty of money set to one side, and a better standing in the ranks of nobility. Sighing, he paced the room and waited for dawn to come.

Both were glad to leave Nottingham the next day. Alyss looked as tired as he did, and he wondered if she had slept at all, but she just smiled at him. Osric was with them, his saddlebags full of things he had picked up for the other villagers, and the trio rode as quickly as they could along the muddy road through Sherwood. All hoped that it would be just as uneventful as yesterday, but as they were about an hour from Nettleworth, Guy felt uneasy. He felt as if he was being watched, and he brought his horse to a halt, one hand resting on his sword. Alyss frowned as she did the same, and she glanced nervously at the trees. All of them knew that it was the knight who was most at risk from being killed by any outlaws, while Alyss knew that her fate would be worse if it was cutthroats. The birds had stopped singing, and all of them waited for the inevitable ambush. The seconds felt like minutes, and Alyss prayed that they would all get out of this alive.

"Show yourselves!" Gisburne commanded as he drew his sword, while Alyss held onto her dagger. It would be no good against arrows, but it at least made her feel a little safer. Osric had moved his horse to the other side of her, so she was sandwiched between the two soldiers.

"Well, well, well, what do we have 'ere then?" A familiar man queried as he stepped out from the trees, his bow loaded and aimed at the knight. Alyss gulped, for she recognised him instantly, and knew that he would have no qualms in killing her fiancé.

"Scarlet, isn't it?" Guy said calmly, for he was rather used to having arrows pointed at him in Sherwood.

"Gisburne." Will spat. "I'm gonna kill ya."