"Alyss!" Osric's anguished cry roused Gisburne, and he sprang back into action. Instinctively he kicked out at the outlaw's legs, sending the man tumbling into the grass, and without hesitation, Gisburne leapt on him, keeping the man pinned to the ground. Scarlet thrashed against him, furious at having been caught, but Gisburne lifted his fist and brought it into the man's jaw. Will growled in pain, and wrestled against the knight, struggling to break free. The pair exchanged blows as they fought in the grass, neither willing to give up easily, and Gisburne smiled wryly as he found himself within reach of his sword. A well-aimed blow sent Will reeling, and Gisburne was quickly stood above him, his blade resting on the wolfshead's chest. The knight so desperately wanted to kill him, but he had no doubt that he would not leave the forest alive if he did so. He had been surprised that none of the man's companions had appeared yet, but Gisburne still had the feeling that he was being watched.

"Go on! Do it then!" Scarlet urged, but the knight frowned as he realised that he had sent Osric away. He turned his head slightly and frowned as he saw that his friend was kneeling beside a fallen figure, looking rather concerned. Gisburne instantly felt his anger increase, for he knew exactly who it was.

"If you've killed her…" The knight growled as he pressed the blade a little more to the man's chest, but Scarlet frowned before looking across the grass.

"She lives." Osric called across. "But she needs help."

"Get her home." Guy instructed, not taking his eyes off the outlaw who was at his mercy.

"And you?"

"I'll be there soon." The knight paused. "We have unfinished business."

The physician had arrived at Nettleworth shortly after Gisburne, and the knight paced nervously as the man prodded at Alyss' skull. It seemed that she had not been wounded by any arrows or blades, and for that he was thankful. He still had no idea what had happened to her or what she had been doing in the clearing, but he was determined to find out. After all, he had sent her away, and Osric had been given strict instructions to look after her. It seemed that both had failed to listen to his orders. Paying the physician, he left Alyss with the maid before finding Osric in the stables. The ex-soldier sighed as the knight appeared, and looked rather apologetic.

"I'm so sorry my lord. I tried to stop her but…" He shook his head. "How is she?"

"Resting." Guy stated as he leant against the doorframe. "What happened?"

"She was not at all happy that you sent her away, so she rode back with the intention of stopping the outlaws. She put up quite a fight, but the man shrugged her off and she must have hit her head on the way down." Osric explained.

"She was trying to save me?" Guy had already guessed that this was the reason why she had been there, but he wanted to hear it confirmed.

"She loves you, my lord." Osric pointed out, before turning back to grooming his horse. "I have no doubt that she would rather die than let you be killed." Gisburne sighed heavily as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I never knew she could be so foolish."

"Lady Alyss is many things, my lord. Stubborn, kind, loving, but she is no fool. Alyss has already lost everyone else she loves. I cannot blame her for wanting to protect the one she loves more than anything." Gisburne just sighed, for he knew that Osric spoke the truth. The problem was that he was angry at the day's events. He was angry with Osric for failing to protect Alyss, and he was angry at himself for not making her stay in Nettleworth. He was furious with Alyss though, for he had never thought that she would truly risk herself to save him. Not that the knight needed saving. He was Sir Guy of Gisburne after all. He had fought outlaws in Sherwood, and the French in Normandy, and lived. He certainly didn't need saving by a woman.

"My lord?" Osric prompted a few minutes later, and Guy realised that he had not been listening to anything the man had said.

"What?" Gisburne asked sharply, and Osric frowned.

"Did you kill him?"

"The outlaw won't be bothering us again." Guy stated simply, before leaving.

Alyss had not stirred by the time he returned inside. He left her with the maid and retired to his chamber, where he took to pacing the room, for he knew that there was nothing more he could do to help her. He just hoped that she would not suffer too much because she had been foolish enough to try and save him. He knew how deadly head wounds could be, and he was not entirely convinced that the physician had been right in his diagnosis. Guy could only hope that she would live, for she was worth so much more than his life, and he would never forgive himself if she… He sighed deeply. He had known that Alyss would not let him sacrifice himself for her. That was why he had sent her away. He had only given himself up because he couldn't see another way to get her out of Sherwood unharmed, and he had been surprised to get out alive. He knew just how much Hood's men despised him, for they had a long history, and it seemed that his six-year absence had not eased off their hatred. Of course, Guy still hated them, but he had turned his attention to other matters since he had been sent away, and his main focus upon returning from Normandy had been Alyss. He had hoped to stay in Nettleworth and raise a family with the woman he loved, and leave the past behind him. He had thought that he knew the noblewoman rather well by now, but it seemed that there were still things he did not know about the Lady Nettleworth. He had never believed that she would be foolish enough to attack one of the wolfsheads singlehandedly, and yet she had done so in order to try and save his life. Guy also had no idea just how much history she had with his enemies. Hood and his men had been the bane of his existence for many years, and he thought that he may have been rid of them now that he was to stay in Nettleworth. The wolfsheads had humiliated him on numerous occasions, and he certainly had more than enough scars from their encounters. They had killed so many of his men purely because they were soldiers, and he had lost friends to their arrows. It was infuriating to know that these outlaws believed that they were upholding justice, when in fact they were breaking the law. The Normans had held England for over a century now, and Gisburne still could not understand why there was still so much resistance to the new ways.

Sighing, he also wondered just how much Alyss had kept from him. He'd long held suspicions that Nettleworth had sympathies for Robin Hood, and Alyss' unwillingness to discuss the outlaws had only added to them. He had known that they had helped the village, for Hood was renowned for helping every village in the county, and he knew that they had found her in Sherwood that time when she had escaped Nottingham. She had also mentioned that they had been present during her mother's illness, but nothing more than that. Yet Scarlet had claimed that they were her friends. Was there more to it that she had not mentioned? Had she harboured or helped them in any way? Guy knew that she had been sympathetic towards them, but he did not know how far those sympathies went. Could he really marry her if she was an ally of Hood, the man he despised? And if she had been more involved with them, would he be willing to hand her over to the Sheriff and see her punished?

Alyss was surprised to find herself alone when she opened her eyes. A few candles lit the room, and a glance at the window told her that it was rather late. Her head throbbed, and she had little recollection as to what had happened since she had left Nottingham. Easing herself upright, she let the room stop spinning before pouring herself a drink. She cursed as she knocked the cup off the stand, and then felt nauseous as she leaned forwards to mop up the spillage. Giving up on the idea, she rested her head on the wall, and took a deep breath. She tried to remember what had happened, but that was not easy with such a headache. A few images flashed through her mind, and she frowned as she remembered that there had been an encounter with some outlaws. Closing her eyes, she tried to conjure up the day's events, and sighed as she failed. Resting her head against the wall, she did her best to quell the nausea and then work out just how she'd ended up with a pounding head. This was certainly worse than any migraine she'd had before, and she could only be glad that the room was fairly dark. All she could do was try and work out what had happened between Nottingham and home.

Alyss had no idea how much time had passed before the image of Scarlet about to kill Gisburne came to mind. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest and panic took over, for she had no idea if Guy lived, nor had she any clue how she had gotten home. Not able to rest until she knew that he was alright, she got out of bed and used the wall to keep herself upright. She felt incredibly dizzy, and had no doubt that she needed to rest, but she needed to know that he had survived.

It took a few moments to reach the next room, and she paused as she could hear him pacing furiously. For one moment she reconsidered her actions, but knew that she needed to see him, for she would not be able to rest otherwise. She knocked on the door, wondering why he had not been with her, but he did not open it. She tried the handle, but it was locked, and so she knocked again. His footsteps continued, and even in her current state she knew that he was ignoring her. Sighing, she sank to the floor and rested her head against the wall, trying to work out why the knight would do this to her. Though it hurt to concentrate, she tried to remember everything that had happened, and realised that Guy must be angry with her. Though she had mentioned the outlaws to him previously, she had not been entirely honest with him.

"Guy?" She called out, and was heartened to hear his footsteps stop, but the door still did not open. "Please open the door. We need to talk."

"You need to rest." He said sternly, and Alyss realised she had not heard him speak like this to her for quite some time.

"I cannot do so until I know you are well." She stated. "And I will not leave until I do." He did not respond, but the footsteps started again. Sighing, Alyss knew that she could be as stubborn as him, even in her current state, and so, undeterred, she decided to start talking. She had no idea how he would react to the truth, but perhaps it would be easier to admit everything without being face to face.

"Please, open the door." She called out, but he did not. "I am sorry for whatever it is I have done. I just wanted to make sure that you…" She hesitated as she felt tears form in her eyes. "I'm sorry." But the door did not open, and Alyss knew that she would not be forgiven.