It should not have surprised anyone that the outlaws could not accept the statement of their leader so easily. This brief sentence had triggered a tempestuous discussion, but Robin Hood had not expected otherwise. It was for this reason that he had hesitated for so long to tell them about his brother, and he had only been able to bring himself to do so when he realized he could wait no longer.

One of the two people who did not comment on the whole affair was Nasir. In his case, however, this was simply a matter of his opinion that it was up to Robin alone to pass on this information and that it was in no way up to him to judge him for it. After all, there was enough in his life that he didn't want to be judged for either. And he had been through so much more than the other outlaws that he probably would have gone crazy if he hadn't adopted this attitude. And now he couldn't do it any other way, otherwise it would ruin his integrity. For that, he also accepted to be an exception in the group of outlaws.

The other person who did not speak out was, of course, Tuck, who had known about it before but was not allowed to talk about it. He had long since made his peace with it, just as he had with other confessions he had heard in the past. There was nothing else left for him to do if he wanted to go on, unless he would have hardened himself to the other people. But that would be no life for him then.

Will had not wanted to speak to Robin at all. As if kinship with Gisburne was a contagious disease, he had demanded that the former heir to the Earl of Huntingdon leave the outlaws at once. He was alone in this demand, however. This did not mean, however, that the rest of the group had accepted Robin's statement so easily.

Much, deeply hurt, had withdrawn. Gisburne had killed his father and this, understandably, he could not forget. It threw him into confusion that Robin now had a familial connection to this man. John sympathized with the young man and so, for now, reacted similarly to him.

That left Marion. Unlike the others, she did not accuse Robin of being Gisburne's brother, for she was well aware that he could not help it. But she couldn't forgive him for something else. She didn't understand why he had hesitated for so long to tell her the truth, when they didn't want to keep secrets from each other anymore. She was quite upset when she realized how long he had known that his father had another son.

The group of outlaws had split up and were now staying in different parts of the camp, but they were all still keeping an eye on each other, even though they barely spoke to one another. Will had separated himself from everyone else, but that did not spare them from his tirades, as he raged loudly against Robin. He had become even angrier when he realized that none of his friends agreed with him in his radical views. John tried to comfort Much, while at the same time trying to figure out where he himself stood on the whole issue. Tuck could have sat with Robin, but the latter had wordlessly pointed out to him that Marion should not be left alone, and so he now sat beside her, trying to explain to her why Robin had not been able to tell her his secret earlier. Of course, it would be better if their leader would do it himself, but Marion did not want to talk to him yet. So, it was finally left to Nasir to sit with his young friend, which he had no problem with. He was even willing to listen to him, should the other feel the need to talk. Which didn't seem to be the case at the moment, though.

The outlaws, however, all seemed to have forgotten that they had watched Herne guiding Gisburne through the woods. Robin's secret had apparently completely blocked that out, and none of them - Robin himself included - were prepared for the knight to appear in their camp all at once. Of course, this could also be due to the fact that no one had trusted him to find the camp.

Then, when he so unexpectedly stepped into the small clearing where the outlaws had set up camp, silence fell abruptly. Will leapt to his feet, giving the impression that he was about to have a fit, while Much had turned pale. And all of them were clutching their weapons. All except Robin, who hoped the knight would not force him to fight him, for then he would have made his sacrifice all for nothing.

Although Gisburne could not have failed to notice the reaction of the others, he stepped closer - leading his horse by the reins - as if he sought out the outlaws every day.

"What do you want here?" hissed Will.

"Tell you that I am leaving the forest now", was the short reply.

"And you think we care?" Will seemed on the verge of lunging at the other man.

"If you know I'm gone, you won't have to look for me."

The former soldier snorted in exasperation, as if he felt insulted by those words.

"Then I guess you need a guide to get out of Sherwood?", Robin tried to relieve some of the tension.

Gisburne shook his head, but by then a voice rang out from behind him. "He already has a guide." When the outlaws heard it, they all cringed, except for Robin. And then this person also stepped into the clearing.

Robin didn't know who the man was, but he saw the reaction of his friends to him, and from that he could tell that he was quite familiar to them. But he could also tell that none of them had expected to meet him here. They were all stunned.

"You're dead!" roared Will all at once, while Much rushed toward the stranger at the same time.

"Robin!" he cried, hugging the other, who immediately smiled at the younger man and returned the hug affectionately. At that moment Robin Hood realized who this man must be, although he could no more believe it than his friends. After all, they had all assumed Loxley had died four years ago.

And then he suddenly recalled what Gisburne was supposed to have said. How could he of all people have known that the first Robin Hood was still alive? And why did the two men appear here now side by side? But then Robin Hood thought of other questions that were even more important to him than the first two. If Herne's first son was back, what would become of him, his successor? And what about Marion? How would she respond to her husband's return?

As if the other Robin had read his mind, he now turned to his successor. "You know who I am, don't you, Robin Hood?" He did not wait to see if he received a response. "I'm glad you answered Herne's call and took care of my friends after I was no longer able to do so. I assure you, I have no intention of stealing your place. You are now Robin Hood and Herne's son. My time in Sherwood is at an end and I will not be able to stay here. As sorry as I am not to remain with my friends and with my brother, I have returned for another reason. And even though Will probably won't believe it, and even though I'm hurting Much by saying it, I'm going to accompany Guy to Huntingdon. My place is by his side now, even though that may be hard for all of you here to understand. I didn't understand it myself right away either. But now I know for what reason I have been given the opportunity to return."

"But you can't leave right after we just found out you're still alive, Robin!" declared John, without paying attention to the other's words. And then he turned around and his eyes fell on Marion, pale and miserable, standing next to Tuck, who had to support her. Just at that moment Robin Hood reached her side and protectively put an arm around her. John immediately blushed. Quite obviously, he hadn't considered how Marion might be feeling when he invited Robin. And only then it occurred to them that the first Robin had neither mentioned nor looked at her and they could not understand that. All they could then think of was that this was a matter between these two people, for none of them - apart from Robin Hood, perhaps - wanted to have to choose between them.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

In the end, of course, it was not only John who insisted that Robin of Loxley stay for a shared meal, even if this meant for the outlaws, they also had to endure the presence of Gisburne. They accepted this - albeit grudgingly - in order to be able to talk to their friend, whom they had missed greatly. This was somewhat made easier when they noticed that the knight had changed, contrary to their expectations. Although this did not mean that they could forget what he had done in the past, it made his presence a little more bearable. Nevertheless, it did not escape them that Much in particular found it very difficult to sit around a fire with this man. In that respect, then, they actually considered it a benefit that the young man was mainly occupied with understanding his brother's decision to accompany the foe. In fact, by focusing entirely on Robin, he eventually managed to ignore Gisburne for the most part. And the latter also held back and did not impose himself on anyone, which in retrospect only showed everyone once again that he was not the same as before.

They were all astonished to learn that the knight would no longer be working for the Sheriff of Nottingham, but would instead be going to Huntingdon. However, they could not quite believe this yet, especially since they did not hear anything about the earl's words to make the knight his heir, and thus it was not obvious to them why Gisburne had left the service of the sheriff. But both Robin Hood and the knight himself agreed that they should not preempt the earl in this matter. Nasir, who, after all, was the only one of the outlaws who knew, having been present when David of Huntingdon announced his decision, would say nothing about it. This was not his habit, for he had always taken the position that it was not for him to make other people's affairs public. Robin had understood this a long time ago and therefore he could refrain from talking to his friend about it. He knew this would be unnecessary and besides, he did not want to offend the man.

Having apparently satisfied his friends' curiosity to a sufficient degree, Loxley detached himself from them and joined his successor instead. At first, the two just sat next to each other, neither of them saying a word, but then the dark-haired man suddenly smiled at the other.

"This feels really weird to me now, so I'm assuming you're not feeling any better." He looked apologetically at Robin Hood.

The latter shrugged his shoulders. "I've actually felt better than that", he admitted. "But I can understand why you couldn't just leave Sherwood without letting your friends see you."

"That is indeed the main reason for my visit to you guys", Loxley had to admit, "though not the only one. I would not like to imagine, however, how any of them would have felt had I run across them at a later date. If they had learned in this manner that I had not died, they would certainly have felt betrayed by me." A wry smile appeared on his face. "And then there's Gisburne, too."

Robin had to laugh. "And then there's Gisburne, too", he confirmed.

The other laughed too, but only briefly and then he got serious again. "You definitely had to know that he was leaving the woods again. Otherwise you would have had no peace here. It was therefore no question at all for me whether I should bring him here, although I could of course imagine what my friends would have to say about it. I knew in advance how they would react both to the man himself and to my announcement that I would leave the woods with him."

Again, the two men remained silent until it was Loxley who spoke up once more. "I have spent the last four years in Herne's cave and apparently have been in some sort of sound sleep the entire time. However, it was by no means a regular sleep, because if there hadn't been a lot of magic involved there, I wouldn't have been able to just rise up after that long. And this was probably the reason why I was not completely cut off from the events in the world. I caught a lot of what was going on here in Sherwood and even what was going on in Nottingham. That's how I know you didn't just succeed me as Herne's son." As the blond man was about to interject, Loxley stopped him with a firm motion of his hand.

"You mustn't believe that I hold anything against you. At least not anymore, for by now I've understood that my path is different than it was before. I must admit, however, that this was not easy for me, but I had time enough to reflect on it, even if I have only now become aware of this. After my supposed death, Herne had to put someone in my place, both as his son and as the leader of the outlaws. Of course, at first, I resented being replaced so easily, and by that time I resented you for taking so long to answer Herne's call. I also resented you for allowing my friends to leave the woods, except for Tuck. But I forgot that I didn't want to follow Herne at the beginning either. I was then faster than you, but that was only because I didn't have as much to lose as you. None of that matters now, though, since when it came down to it, you were there for my friends. Both right after they were captured by the sheriff and Gisburne, and when Marion was kidnapped by Owen of Clun. You were on hand and after that you didn't hesitate to take responsibility, although I can't imagine that was easy for you. It took me time to understand, though."

Robin looked at him with relief. As he listened to him speak, he now realized that he had actually feared Loxley would give him hell for taking almost a year to figure out that he wanted to answer Herne's call. And that it had taken Marion's suffering to set him on the right path.

Loxley wasn't done, though. "I don't blame you for taking my place with Marion, either. She needed someone to help her get over the great loss and you were there to lend a hand. But you were also willing to give her time and wait for her decision. I am convinced you would have accepted any decision she made, even if it had gone against you. I can see now that you two are meant for each other." But then he had to pause for a moment before he could continue. "I really loved Marion from the moment I first laid eyes on her, and I still care deeply about her well-being. But I know now she's not the person I was meant to be with. It's someone else. Looking back now, I realize that I was aware of this before I supposedly died. But I refused to acknowledge it. It didn't fit into my view of things." He laughed softly.

Again, Robin felt relief welling up inside him. Moreover, he just realized that he was glad to have been given the opportunity to meet Loxley. To his great surprise, this was a man he would very much like to have as a friend, and in that respect, he regretted that he would not stay. And then he realized - and this astonished him anew - that he would not mind being the one to do the following.

Loxley had evidently been keeping a very close eye on him. "I can't stay here", he announced, as if he had listened to Robin's thoughts. But perhaps he had shown them on his face.

"I was allowed to return for another reason", Herne's first son went on. "There is another person who needs me now. A person I want to protect and that should sit well with you, because it means your father will now have the support he needs. And lest we misunderstand each other, I mean the earl and not Herne, for that is who you will be supporting. My job now is to stay by Gisburne's side and before you feel sorry for me about that, I'll tell you that I'm happy to do so. I have noticed that he is quite capable of change. In the meantime, he is also willing to do so. He will not abandon your father and not for the reasons most people will accuse him of. He has managed to get out from under the shadow of the Sheriff and leave the legacy of Edmund of Gisburne behind. He has accepted who he is, even though he may not have fully realized it yet. And I will stand by him."

Robin had listened intently to the other, but had said virtually nothing himself. But at this point he had to speak up. "Indeed, I was just wishing you could stay with us, which surprised me quite a bit myself. I know how much the others missed you and so I never imagined there could be a place for both of us here, but now I know I was wrong in that regard. But I find it hard to imagine that there is anything that should be more important to you. And then you tell me that it is Gisburne." He shook his head in disbelief. "Gisburne! I have a hard time following you on that one, even when I think of it as benefiting my father. And even if I am aware that it was I who told the earl he had another son and who it was."

Loxley smiled. "Trust yourself, Robin!" he encouraged him. "Trust that you were not alone when you made this decision, here in Sherwood. You are never alone here, remember that. Sherwood influences all of us, even those who don't believe in Herne's power. Or rather, those who have long resisted believing in it."

"You're talking about Gisburne, aren't you?" Robin wanted to know. And then something else occurred to him. "He's the person meant for you, isn't he? And are you the person meant for him?"

Loxley nodded. "I was indeed talking about Gisburne. And I would very much like to answer your other questions in the affirmative, but I haven't forgotten that there was a time when I was convinced Marion was the person meant for me. So, I can only tell you, right now it's the truth. For me, but also for him. This has become obvious to both of us in the meantime and we have accepted that. But we have no idea where this will take us."

Robin Hood swallowed, for this was something he found difficult to imagine. And then it occurred to him that this path would not be easy for the two men. Their fellow men would certainly put numerous obstacles in their way.

"You two are always welcome in Sherwood, Robin", he promised the other. "Not only you, but my brother as well. There will always be a place here where you can be together without fear."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Loxley approached Marion after he had finished talking to his successor. This exchange, however, was obviously something that neither of them wanted to be observed by their friends. They finally solved this problem by retreating far enough between the trees to avoid being visible from the camp.

Robin was again left alone, which gave him the opportunity to reflect on all that Loxley had told him. Above all, that was the statement that, here in Sherwood, he would never be alone. He realized that the other had not meant their friends, but Herne and his influence on what was happening in the woods. And Robin came to understand that he had definitely known this before, he had just never thought about it. When he realized this, he was immensely relieved, because now he could admit to himself that his heart had told him he had made the right decision earlier. Only his head had obviously not been able to keep up, since this was about a man whom he had always regarded solely as an enemy. After he had learned that there was a connection between them, he had first tried to view the knight with different eyes, but he had quickly refrained from doing so. Now he realized that the only reason he had not wanted to regard him differently than he had before was that it would have been very hard for him to continue fighting him. It was for this reason that he had silenced his heart.

Although he was now aware of the ways in which he had lied to himself, and although he had Loxley's example before his eyes, he was not very pleased to find that Gisburne was approaching him. But he could probably not avoid this conversation any more than he had been able to avoid the one he had already had. Or the one he believed he would have with Marion as soon as their guests had left them.

Unlike Loxley, however, the knight did not simply settle down next to Robin, but waited until the outlaw leader motioned for him to sit.

Gisburne did not give the impression that he liked being here. Neither here in the camp, nor here right next to the man he had only known was his brother for a few days. He didn't seem to enjoy having a conversation with this man either, but he had come to him anyway.

"I'm just going to assume that you're as uncomfortable with the situation as I am. If I'm wrong, though, it wouldn't be the first time I've been wrong about you, so...", he didn't speak further, but shrugged his shoulders as if to say, 'What the hell!' And then a wry smile appeared on his face.

Robin suddenly grasped that the knight had just made a joke at his own expense, and he was taken aback. There was no way he had expected such a thing from the other. "No, you were not mistaken", he therefore quickly assured him.

"Then you'll be glad to know that I'll be on my way to Huntington as soon as Loxley has finished all the talks he obviously needs to make." Again, that wry smile appeared on his face. "This means I will keep the promise I made to the earl. I will try to be of help to him in the fight against fitz Edgar and the sheriff."

Robin suddenly realized that Gisburne was not sure he could actually be of any help to the earl. Here he was just informing him that he was unsure if he could handle the task that lay ahead of him. Robin had not expected that from the other either.

"With you at his side, our father will have a much better chance of succeeding. But of course, it is not possible to be sure in advance of the king's reaction. The man is just too fickle."

Gisburne laughed out. "De Rainault could take lessons from him!" Then he grew serious again. "I am well aware that the king might side with fitz Edgar. Still, I will not break my word."

"I didn't mean to imply you would either", Robin hastened to assure the other. Had he always been so touchy? And then it occurred to him that he probably couldn't handle it any better, if he would not been sure he could help his father.

"I'll try to get more information on fitz Edgar from here. After all, now that he's the sheriff's steward, he must be making more of an appearance!" he elaborated.

Gisburne nodded. "And I'm sure the earl has some men who can dig around in fitz Edgar's past."

Robin nodded. He was confident his father had such men at his disposal. It was just part of being one of the most influential nobles in the kingdom and wanting to remain so.

"One more thing", the knight resumed. "You must expect that fitz Edgar will now move against the villages in an attempt to once again put pressure on you, and thus on your father, as long as it has not yet been made known that he has a new heir."

This was something Robin had not even thought of, but as soon as he heard Gisburne's words, he realized that the other was quite right.

"We'll keep an eye out", he declared to him then, as he couldn't really bring himself to thank his brother.

The other didn't respond to that either, then, but had only one more thing to say. "That's all I have to tell you", the knight stated while already rising again. Without waiting to see if Robin had anything else to add, he quickly departed.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Are you actually going to let that one loose on your father?" Again, it was Will who hurled this question at Robin, in his usual aggressive manner. Only to directly follow it up with something else. "Are you really going to let him take your inheritance?" After all, their leader had decided to tell the rest of the outlaws that the earl would appoint Gisburne as his heir.

Robin couldn't help but laugh. "How many times have you accused me of the Earl of Huntingdon being my father, Will? And now you're worried about me not becoming the next earl? It doesn't add up."

As the other outlaws laughed as well, Will's blush rose to his face. "That's not what I meant. But this is Gisburne we're talking about here!" he tried to explain himself.

"I get it, Will, that we're talking about Gisburne here." Robin smiled at his friend, but the latter didn't even notice in his agitation. "And we're rid of him here for now."

That didn't escape Will then, though, and he had to laugh, too.

"Why did Robin go with him?" Much suddenly wanted to know. "He murdered our father. Why didn't he kill him?"

It occurred to Robin at that moment that Much had not grasped what the relationship was between the two men. And he also realized that it would be quite a shock to him when he learned.

"Didn't you ask him?" he therefore countered him.

"He said he had to. That's what he would have come back for. That way he could support the earl." Much looked at him out of wide eyes. "I didn't understand that. Why is your father more important than his father?"

Robin had to swallow, for this was a question he could not answer. And he knew he didn't want to answer it either, because no matter what he said, he would hurt Much, who was suffering anyway. All he could do was shake his head.

John pulled his young friend into a hug, but he also looked confused.

"Robin doesn't have to justify himself to us, especially since Herne set him on this path. You know it's not easy for his sons to do what he asks. And Robin has been through this before. At that time, you all thought he had died for you, including himself. Please try to understand that even now it is not easy for him to follow Herne. Being his son requires sacrifice, as I know from my own experience. Robin did not want to hurt any of you, any more than I want to do that. You must believe that. Nevertheless, we must walk the path we have been set."