In the last few days, the knight had had to refrain from continuing with the search. He had instead spent his time hunting down a group of mercenaries who had entered Sherwood from Yorkshire coming, then slaughtered a group of pilgrims. Fortunately, his friend had once again been able to help him track down these men, otherwise he would probably still be occupied scouring the moors in the highlands. Nevertheless, the entire affair had ended in a bloodbath, for the mercenaries had not been willing to surrender without resistance. They were well aware that the gallows awaited them, so he could even understand that they did not want to give up without a fight. On the other hand, it did not bother him that in this case none of them would be brought to trial. He was quite content to have executed a sentence that had not yet been passed. Even his friend, who sometimes tended to urge him to exercise restraint, had approved him in this. And even the Sheriff had once again paid attention to him and had praised him.

This day, however, de Rainault, with fitz Edgar at his side, had left early for Newark, where the King was currently staying. This time, he had apparently not even considered taking Gisburne with him, which the latter was glad about. He was in no way drawn to the presence of his sovereign, for getting into his sights had never been particularly beneficial to him. Therefore, he had no problem to do without that.

Apart from that, he had other plans, for he wanted to use the time when de Rainault was absent from Nottingham. After the Sheriff had left the castle with his retinue, his steward had also departed. He had waited only long enough to be sure that his master was not about to return, and then he was off in the direction of Sherwood. He would have preferred to head straight for the spot where de Rainault had left his escort, but that was not possible. First, he had to learn if the outlaws had not already been successful. He was certain that they had continued the search while he was looking for the mercenaries in northern Sherwood, in order to subsequently have a fight with them.

However, he did not have to wait for very long beneath the tree he had chosen on that morning before his companion alerted him to the fact that he was no longer alone.

"I want to carry on with the search today, but to do so I need to know where you have already taken action. I want to avoid wasting time scouring the same area all over again. Therefore, I want you to tell me what you have accomplished and if you have been able to discover anything." His friend had advised him to be a little more polite with the outlaws. Gisburne was not particularly fond of this suggestion, so the other one had then told him that it would do him no harm. After some thought, the knight assumed that he was probably also right in this regard, yet Gisburne had found it quite difficult to follow this proposal. After all, he had never learned to be polite to people like the outlaws. His father - he shuddered at thinking of the man - had brought him up differently.

A rustling sound told him that at that very moment someone was climbing down from the tree beneath which he was sitting. But not knowing whether the person wanted to be observed, he pulled himself together and did not turn around.

Which immediately earned him some praise from his companion. "You've actually learned to restrain yourself."

It was the Saracen who now showed up at his side and even deigned to speak to him. "We searched the entire area north of the creek, but found nothing. We couldn't find any trace of Robin elsewhere either."

"The Sheriff has gone to Newark. I intend to take advantage of his absence," Gisburne informed the outlaw, without giving any further thought to the fact that not long ago he would not have considered doing such a thing. The other man nodded to him curtly and then once again vanished among the trees. After only a few steps, the knight had lost sight of him and was no longer able to hear him either.

After some time, his companion informed him that the Saracen was no longer around. Although the knight had a lot planned for this day, he nevertheless waited for this confirmation before he mounted his horse and left as well.

A few hours later, however, he had to admit to himself that he had no idea which way to proceed. He had managed to cover a large part of the forest, but he had not been able to find a single trace of Robin Hood. He had not discovered even a hint that the Sheriff and fitz Edgar had passed through here. Even his constant companion had not been able to help him in this regard. Therefore, the knight did not know what he could do next.

"We must have missed something," Gisburne finally informed his companion. "We know the Sheriff has left the soldiers in this spot, so this must be the right place. I don't understand why we can't find anything here." He shook his head.

"If there was something to find here, I wouldn't have missed it," his companion told him, though that was not particularly helpful.

Once again, the knight sat down beneath a tree at the side of the road to give it all some more careful consideration. He still believed that he had a chance to discover something on that day. Though it was actually more of a hunch, yet he was sure that all he had to do was to look in the right place. The only problem was that prior to that he had to have an idea where that might be.

"We know the Sheriff has left the road at this point ...," he resumed. "But why did he leave the soldiers here of all places?" The reason he posed this question aloud, however, was not so that his companion would provide him with an answer, but only to order his thoughts. Apparently, the other one had noticed that the knight wished to contemplate in silence, for once he remained quiet.

"De Rainault is not so stupid as to have left such kind of conspicuous hint. Surely he would never miss what an obvious trail this would be. For what reason, then, did he act as he did?" For years Gisburne had had the opportunity to observe the Sheriff, and during that time he had never noticed him behaving in such a clumsy manner. But that simply meant he had made a mistake in trying to understand de Rainault's actions.

"We're looking in the wrong place," he finally informed his companion, after giving the whole matter a thorough consideration. "De Rainault may have left the road around here, but he will have returned to it not far from this spot. I don't understand why I didn't notice before that you can't see very far in either direction from this place?"

"So, you are saying we should look for tracks in both directions from this point?" his companion inquired.

"He must have returned to the road out of sight of the soldiers, then disappeared into the forest again not far away. We need to find this spot at all costs," Gisburne summed up his thoughts once again.

It did not take them too long to be successful. "Now I know where the two men left the road," the other one shared with him. Gisburne bought this right away, as in the same way he had helped him track down the mercenaries.

"Then we should lose no more time," the knight advised him.

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Although they finally had certainty about the area in which they had to search, it still took them quite a long time before they came upon a derelict fortification. Although there was hardly anything left of the keep that must have once stood on the motte, they soon came across the entrance to the underground vaults. These had apparently survived the passage of time much better than the above-ground structures.

It could not be missed that this entrance had recently been uncovered by someone. Since this person had apparently seen no reason to hide their activities, they had left numerous traces behind. Unlike that person, the knight had been careful not to make his presence apparent, as he did not want to draw anyone's attention to the fact that he was in the area. In the past, he had not paid attention to this kind of thing, which had gotten him into trouble often enough.

However, he had not moved further than the first section of the underground vault when his companion warned him that someone was approaching. Cursing quietly to himself, Gisburne looked for a place to hide. Fortunately, he quickly discovered a crack in the wall of the passage through which he could slip. Naturally, not wanting to be spotted, he entered another room through a different gap. From there, a doorway - albeit without a door - led into a third room.

While he sought his way warily in the darkness, he suddenly spotted before him what he took to be torchlight, but it was only visible in a single spot. As quietly as possible, he crept over and finally discovered a small hole in the wall, which allowed him to look into an adjacent, probably larger chamber. Fortunately, the opening was too small to allow a person to slip through, but it was large enough for him to have a good view of everything beyond the wall. For this reason, he could not help but notice that the light he had seen earlier was apparently coming from two torches. Probably those served as a source of light for the people who had arrived after him. And from the fact that their shine was getting closer and closer, he concluded that the chamber he was looking into was most likely their destination.

However, he had to wait until they actually arrived on the scene and cast light into the darkness with their torches to realize that he had found what he was looking for. Robin Hood. The leader of the outlaws had in fact been chained to one of the walls. At first glance, he did not make a good impression on the knight. The manner in which he hung in his chains indicated that he was not in good shape.

However, Gisburne was now in a position to recognize who the men were who had surprised him. To his great astonishment, they were Robert de Rainault and Walter fitz Edgar, whom - to be honest - he had not expected to return so soon. Now he scolded himself for being an idiot, since he had assumed that the two would first return to Nottingham before setting off again to see their prisoner. Moreover, he had also believed they would stay longer in Newark. They could not have spent very much time there, but then why had they ridden there at all. Or perhaps they had cut their trip short prematurely. But that made no sense either. He put this problem aside for the time being, though, for there was no point in racking his brains over these questions. He would not arrive at a solution simply lacking too much information. And even if this were not the case, it would not help him right now, for his problem was a different one. At this moment, he could only hope that he would not betray to the other ones by any carelessness that he was stuck in here. If he was lucky - but did he really want to count on that? - the two of them would focus completely on their prisoner.

The Sheriff did not waste time with a greeting. "You got anything you want to tell us today, Wolfshead?" he uttered instead, but the only response he got from the prisoner to his question was a croak.

"I'm afraid we will first have to wet his throat, my Lord," de Rainault's attendant let himself be heard stating, who was a tall, well-muscled young man with a plain face and brown hair.

"Then take care of it, fitz Edgar!" the Sheriff instructed him.

"My pleasure!" The younger man acknowledged the order with an unpleasant grin before moving to the prisoner. He unfastened a water flask from his belt, opening it, and then with one hand grabbed Hood's filthy hair to pull the latter's head back. Then he simply dumped the contents of the flask over the prisoner. The latter was obviously quite thirsty, for he opened his mouth as wide as he could to try to swallow as much of the water as possible. However, this quickly got him into trouble as the sheer quantity of liquid that ended up in his mouth made him cough. Afterwards, he was unable to swallow more, but most likely he still had succeeded in gulping down some of it.

"Apparently this bastard is more interested in getting his face cleaned than having a drink," quipped fitz Edgar after letting go of Robin Hood's head. He recapped the bottle, hung it on his belt, and then, taking the helpless man by complete surprise, punched him square in the face. This slap he immediately followed up with a hit to the gut, and then he struck him once more across the face.

"Do you possibly believe that your friends can find you in this place, Wolfshead. You don't have to get your hopes up about that, so you should answer our questions after all. Otherwise, I foresee you rotting in here." Judging by his tone, the Sheriff did not care what Hood chose, but when his prisoner did not respond to his words, he took a few steps back, giving his young companion more room.

He did not waste any time, but immediately began to beat the prisoner up. It was not long before the latter could no longer suppress his cries of pain, but no matter how hard fitz Edgar hit him, Robin Hood did not utter a single word. Gisburne, however, was not sure if this was actually a willful decision or if he was simply unable to do more than scream. The knight, however, got the impression that de Rainault was not really interested in getting answers from Robin Hood. He seemed to be after something else, but the steward could not imagine what that might be. He wondered, however, for what reason the Sheriff had not taken his prisoner to Nottingham, or straight to Newark, where the King was staying. Surely it would have earned him the goodwill of his sovereign to present the outlaw as his prisoner. It puzzled the knight that de Rainault was behaving so oddly.

Moreover, he had no idea what role fitz Edgar might play in the entire matter, apart from getting his hands dirty for the Sheriff. In this respect, he had definitely taken Gisburne's place, which was just fine with him. He would have been very reluctant to beat up the outlaw. He had no problem facing him in combat, but this was not to his liking. Of course, he had already had to interrogate prisoners for the Sheriff, which meant nothing more than making them submissive using brute force. But he had never really liked being a torturer, and by now it had dawned on him that he wanted to avoid such situations - if possible. He did not care what anyone else would think of him in this regard. He simply knew that this was not something he wanted to do. That is, if he had the chance to avoid it.

"Others will also realize that you have changed," his companion whispered in his ear. Gisburne flinched, for he had not been aware of the other one, and then he just hoped that the Sheriff and fitz Edgar had not overheard those words as well. To his relief, however, the two showed no sign of having noticed anything, for they were still entirely focused on Robin Hood. The younger man, however, had stopped beating the prisoner in the meantime. The knight, though, was not sure if this might not be due to the fact that the outlaw had lost consciousness. At least Hood gave this impression, for he hung unmoving in his chains and seemed to have no control over his body.

"We're done here for today," de Rainault declared after one last look at his prisoner, then turned away from the outlaw.

"Maybe an answer to our demand has already arrived," fitz Edgar commented, eliciting an amused snort from the Sheriff.

"So fast we can't get anything from ...", the two men were moving away from Gisburne while they were talking to each other and therefore he did not get what the Sheriff was referring to. Once again the knight realized there could be no doubt that his master was no longer taking him into his confidence. Indeed, he had not uttered a single word to him that he had made demands to anyone. Therefore, Gisburne could not tell whether this demand could have anything to do with Robin Hood being held here in this ruined building.

But that was something Sir Guy wanted to change right now. However, he could only do this if the Sheriff and his attendant had actually left the place. And if he managed to open the shackles. If he could not do this on his own, then he would have no choice but to go and get the rest of the outlaws. In that case, he could only hope that nothing would happen to the prisoner in the meantime.

"I'll have a look to ensure they've gone," his companion informed him, and promptly vanished from Gisburne's side. With a sense of relief, the knight made his way back to the main passageway. He was glad not to have to worry about the two men as well. When he finally squeezed through the crack in the wall, he immediately noticed in the scant daylight that had made it this far that the Sheriff and fitz Edgar had taken the time to extinguish the torches. It therefore took him a moment to relight one of them, and by then his companion had returned to his side.

"They're gone," he stated as an all-clear, and Gisburne immediately made his way to the chamber where the outlaw was, being very pleased not to have to worry about getting caught off guard after all.

The knight wondered what he should do if he managed to free Robin Hood, but the latter happened to be unconscious. Should he then hope that his friends would track him down? He knew he had no chance of locating their camp, and in that case he was not sure his companion would be able to either. But when he finally entered the chamber, he was relieved to see that the prisoner was not unconscious. He even succeeded in raising his head and looking at the knight as he approached. When he realized that the man standing in front of him was Gisburne, he tried to straighten up, perhaps to give the impression of not fearing the knight. However, he did not succeed, which was probably due to the fact that he simply lacked the strength to make the other man believe that he would not be scared. The beating that fitz Edgar had given him was probably the reason why he failed to do so.

But that did not mean that he would surrender so easily without a fight. "Nice of you to deign to visit me, Gisburne," he croaked, trying to at least offer verbal resistance. The knight, however, had no intention of responding to this remark, so he simply ignored it.

"Can you spot the key?" he wanted to know from his companion, but for the moment this only led to Hood giving the knight a strange look.

"Maybe you know where the key is, Wolfshead?" Gisburne had no time for any games just now.

"Somewhere next to the entrance," came the prisoner's barely intelligible - and surprising - reply.

That very moment, his companion also answered him, "It's hanging over here." The knight immediately rushed to his side and spotted what he had been looking for. It hung well concealed on a hook, in a small wall niche hidden in the shadows. Gisburne seized the key and quickly made his way back to Hood, who just stared at him. Obviously, he did not comprehend what the knight was up to.

"I'll keep watch outside," Gisburne's companion declared, and then he was gone once again. The knight swallowed a curse, for he was anything but thrilled about this move, since it meant that he would now have to deal with the prisoner all by himself.

"Can you stand?" he inquired of him, but then he did not wait to see if Hood would answer him, but set about unlocking the shackles on the prisoner's ankles, then the collar around his neck, and only at last the shackles on his wrists. Robin Hood managed to stand on his own for a moment, but then he slumped down. Fortunately for him, Gisburne had already grabbed him and prevented the outlaw from hitting the ground.

"I can't carry you, you're going to have to try a little harder to get out of here before the Sheriff returns," he tried to get the other one to make a little more effort.

"Two of us can carry him," a voice suddenly rang out that Gisburne had not been expecting. He flinched and almost let go of Robin Hood. He only just managed to pull himself together.

That brief moment had been sufficient for Nasir to reach the two men and he now put Robin's free arm around his shoulders. The knight followed suit and then they made their way out, carrying Hood more than him walking between them. Quite obviously he was completely exhausted, but that was hardly surprising considering that he had been in the hands of the Sheriff for six days and had probably been tortured the entire time. Gisburne deemed that he was actually doing just fine for that.

"I'm sorry, it didn't occur to me that you couldn't have known about Nasir's arrival," the voice of Gisburne's companion suddenly rang out right next to the knight. "I'm going to go scouting once more," the latter then went on, "you two are handling this pretty well." Before Gisburne even had a chance to utter a single word, the other man had already disappeared from his side. There was no denying that he had recently gotten into the habit of acting much more independently than he had before. Gisburne, however, was not bothered by the fact that his companion no longer waited for the knight to tell him what to do, as he had in the beginning.

After they had finally escaped the underground vault, the next surprise awaited the knight in the form of his stallion, which was right in front of the entrance, although Gisburne was sure he had hidden him well.

"We need him," was all the Saracen remarked, and Gisburne nodded his agreement. The two of them managed to heave Robin Hood into the saddle, whereupon the knight took Fury's reins in hand and then waited for Nasir to go ahead. After all, the latter had to know where they were heading.

They had already moved a good distance away from the ruins where Hood had been held captive when Gisburne's companion returned to his side. "There is a single rider ahead," he murmured to him.

"Who might that be?" the knight raised the counter question in a low voice, whereupon the Saracen gave him a strange look. Had he perhaps spoken too loudly?

"I'll go see, wait here," the outlaw uttered then, speaking no more quietly than Gisburne. Did it perhaps make a difference who the speaker was? Were only outlaws allowed to raise their voices in Sherwood?

Despite his confusion, the knight had stopped, but he did not have to wait long to realize that someone was approaching him. Suddenly he heard a man call out, "Where is he?" The voice was familiar, but he could not immediately match it to a person. In any case, the stranger had made no effort to remain quiet.

"It's the Earl of Huntingdon," his companion whispered in his ear. "You should go out to meet him; he will want to see his son."

He would not have had to tell Gisburne specifically; the name had already been good enough to get him moving in the direction of the Earl. But when he came out from between the trees with Fury on the reins, the elderly noble stopped abruptly. "What's he doing here?" he wanted to know from the Saracen who had reached Huntingdon ahead of the knight, sounding less than friendly.

"He found Robin," Nasir explained to him in a calm voice.

"Him?" The Earl obviously refused to believe that. "For what reason was he looking for him?"

"To spite the Sheriff!" Gisburne was tired of the Earl looking at him as if he had just crept out of a ditch somewhere.

"Will not de Rainault know right away that you have taken his prisoner, Sir Guy?" The Earl could not keep contempt at the steward's supposed stupidity out of his voice.

The knight, of course, was not unaware of his tone and had to pull himself together not to answer in a corresponding manner. "The Sheriff didn't let me in on his plans. I had no idea where he was holding Hood." But then he added with a wry smile, "And he won't credit me with being able to find the hiding place."

The last sentence shut the Earl up.

"Are you done playing games by now?" Neither the Earl nor the knight had expected to hear just that voice. The Saracen was obviously not as inattentive as the other two men, for a slight smile played around his lips.

"What brings you to Sherwood, my Lord?" the outlaw's leader went on.

"You, my Son," the older man replied. "But maybe we could talk somewhere where we could sit down."

"I'm already sitting," Robin gave back, but he smiled at those words.

"There's a little clearing up ahead," Gisburne's companion whispered to him. "Don't be surprised if I make myself a little scarce. I don't think Robin will like me." And he was gone once more.

The knight repeated aloud, "A little farther ahead there is a small clearing," whereupon the other three looked at him, puzzled.

He was tired of being looked at by the rest of the group as if he was not capable of anything, but in his opinion there was no time to talk about it now, so he simply led the stallion on - with Hood in the saddle. It did not take him long to reach the small clearing, but he had not doubted he would. His companion was not in the habit of lying to him. After bringing his stallion to a halt, he helped the outlaw down from the horse and then also assisted him in reaching a tree to lean against. Once the other one was seated, Gisburne made his way back to Fury, but only to retrieve the water flask that was hanging from the saddle. He handed this to Robin Hood, upon which the latter once again eyed him in a strange manner. But he did not comment, just accepted the flask to drink from it.

In the meantime, the Earl had come over and sat down next to his son. When Hood handed the empty bottle back to Gisburne, the latter took it and then wanted to move away from the two men.

"Stay here. You're already involved," the outlaw implored him in a low voice and a certain level of resignation. "You too, Nasir!"

The Saracen settled down immediately next to his friend, but Gisburne did at first not know whether he should actually stay. But then he realized that the other man was right. He was actually already involved in the whole affair, and if Hood wanted him there, then for once he would grant him his wish. So, he sat down next to the Saracen, not wanting to give the impression of being a threat to the Earl or his son.

"Why are you here, my Lord?" the leader of the outlaws repeated his question from a moment ago.

"A message was slipped to me saying that you had been captured. I was also told you would die if I did not comply with the demand in that message. Needless to say, I immediately set out to see how you were doing."

"So that was the message fitz Edgar was talking about," Gisburne blurted out before he could consider his words.

"Fitz Edgar?" Robin Hood could not hide the fact that he did not know what to make of the name.

"That's the man who escorted de Rainault. Walter fitz Edgar. But I do not know more than the name of him either. I have no idea where he came from."

"He didn't introduce himself to me by that name, but he is the man who posed as the Earl's messenger. He is the man who set me up," Robin declared. "But when did you hear him speak of this message, Gisburne?"

"Today. When the two of them walked out of that dungeon."

"You were already there at that time? Where were you hiding?" The outlaw looked dumbfounded.

"In a side chamber. I just managed to hide from the two of them in there. I was lucky that I had only just arrived, for if I had already gone any further, I would not have been able to hide. Then I would have had no choice but to fight, but that's what I wanted to avoid. I know next to nothing about fitz Edgar, but I have had the opportunity to watch him train with weapons, and I have found him to be an excellent swordsman. In the confines of the passage, that wouldn't have done him much good, but it would have hampered me just as much."

"You against two men, Gisburne?" The outlaw did not hide his disbelief.

The knight was not of the opinion that it was anybody else's business who he had come to his rescue with, so he did not comment on the remark. "The Sheriff is not much of a fighter," he suggested instead. "But it doesn't matter now, since I was able to get out of their way. And they don't know that their prisoner has escaped."

The Earl had listened intently to the exchange of words, but now he could no longer contain himself. "Fitz Edgar. So, the man does exist!"

Robin Hood's gaze went back to his father. "What do you mean?"

"That message was from him, not from de Rainault. The Sheriff was not even mentioned in it. So, I was not aware that he was involved in this matter either. But it was fitz Edgar who made the demand."

"And what did he request, my Lord?" the outlaw tried to find out.

"It doesn't matter now. He can no longer enforce his demand as he has lost his leverage." The Earl seemed unwilling to talk about the content of the message.

"Fitz Edgar didn't strike me as someone who would give up that easily. And the Sheriff certainly doesn't." It was the knight who made this observation and as a result he was looked at in a strange manner by Robin Hood, but also by the latter's father.

"Why are you here, Sir Guy?" David of Huntingdon wanted to know at this point.

This was a question that the knight could not answer offhand, although he should have expected it to be raised. But he himself was not sure why he was involved in this. Of course, he had not forgotten how it had all started and the reason he had offered his help to the outlaws. But by now this had gone beyond that.

"I'm not entirely sure, my Lord," he began tentatively. "To begin with, I was mostly annoyed by the fact that the Sheriff has only taken fitz Edgar into his confidence in recent weeks. I don't like that man, there's something disagreeable about him." He paused for a moment as he needed to get his thoughts in order before speaking further. He also was not sure if he actually wanted to talk about this, but then he pulled himself together. "In the meantime, though, I don't like the whole affair. This no longer seems to be about getting a dangerous bunch of outlaws out of the forest. It appears to be about much more, if you have become entangled in it as well, my Lord Earl."

Huntingdon looked at him incredulously. This was probably not the explanation he had expected. Robin Hood eyed him too, but his gaze held more curiosity than anything else.

"You should tell us what fitz Edgar demanded, my Lord!" the outlaw turned his attention back to his father.

The Earl sighed. "He has demanded that I acknowledge him as my heir to save your life, Robert."

"As your heir? But how ... Of course! Fitz Edgar!", Robin Hood suddenly seemed to be quite enraged.

"Your uncle's son?" the Saracen made himself heard.

"At least that's what he claimed in his message," Huntingdon elaborated.

"If he can convince the King that he has been recognized by his father and is indeed your nephew, my Lord, then he may not even need your consent to claim your inheritance after your death." It was again the knight who summed up the situation - to the surprise of the other people present.

Robin Hood did not look too pleased. "I'm sorry to say that Gisburne may be right, my Lord." He sighed. "I need to speak with you alone," he begged his father. "Please."

Gisburne did not wait to be asked to leave. He got up of his own accord and went to his horse, which stood at the other end of the clearing. In doing so, he noticed that the Saracen was also moving away from the other two men.

Robin Hood lost no time, he started talking to the Earl immediately. But whatever he had to say to his father, he did not seem to enjoy it. And the longer he talked, the more incredulous, but also the more indignant the Earl appeared. He obviously did not want to believe what his son was telling him.

"They're talking about you," Gisburne's companion informed him quietly. Once again, the knight had not been aware that the other one had returned.

Sir Guy did not want to draw the other men's attention to his friend, so he avoided turning to him. "You said you were going to stay away."

"I was curious". The other one sounded amused.

"What makes you think they're talking about me? I'm not part of their problem," Gisburne wanted to know.

"You'll see that I'm right. I'll be gone again." The knight could not hear him moving away, but he was sure that he was no longer around, for since he had joined him, he had not yet been able to catch him in a lie.

The Earl and his son were engaged in a very excited, yet hushed, conversation. They gave the impression that the outlaw had to convince his father of something, but the elder man did not want to listen to it. Gisburne suddenly had to grin. He knew from his own experience how stubborn Hood could be. Would the Earl be able to prevail against him, despite his years of experience? The knight was not sure.

Finally, the two seemed to have arrived at a decision, for they concluded their conversation. They also seemed to have come to an agreement, for they both looked in the same direction at the same time. They both looked over at Gisburne and he could not help but remember what his companion had told him, even though it made no sense to him at all.

"Sir Guy," the Earl commenced. "Why did you turn against the Sheriff in this case?"

Gisburne swallowed, for this question was not so easy for him to respond to. Especially since he himself was not sure. To gain time, he went back to the two men and settled down on the ground once more.

"My Lord," he began afterwards, "I don't really know myself. I guess it has something to do with the fact that this time I was not included by the Sheriff. Therefore, I had the chance to look at his actions from the outside, so to speak." He paused. He had to get his thoughts in order before he could continue.

"When I entered service with de Rainault many years ago, I didn't really care what he wanted me to do. I had no notion, really, of what he expected of me. In the time that followed, I then tried to adapt to him, to become like him. However, it just happened that way and I didn't realize it. Now I have to admit that I never thought about what I was doing in his service and what he expected of me." He had to pause once again as he did not like this realization at all, but that did not make it any less true. However, he was very uncomfortable expressing this in front of the Earl.

"But that can't be quite right," countered the Earl. "After all, you've obviously given it some thought at this point. So, what has changed?"

Gisburne had to admit that this was a good question. But could he give an answer to it? Or more precisely, what was he going to tell the Earl about what he himself believed had changed regarding the kind of things he had to do for the Sheriff? After all, he was pretty certain what had made him consider the whole matter. No doubt his companion had triggered this with his questions, but he was not going to mention him at this point. However, this had nothing to do with the fact that the people here did not know him. The knight had no choice but to approach the matter differently.

"At the beginning, I admired the Sheriff, since he is very cunning. He knows what he wants and does everything he can to achieve his goals. In doing so, he often succeeds. Beyond that, he reminded me of my father and what he tried to teach me." He could not tell the Earl how abhorrent the man whom everyone thought was his father was to him. Nor could he talk about the reason he had tried to become like him in spite of it. "But the Sheriff's ambitions have only ever been about Nottinghamshire. Even when he has tried to win the King over, it has never been about anything more. This affair however, goes far beyond his earlier aims. He has allowed himself to be implicated by fitz Edgar in this matter and is apparently willing to remove you and your influence on the King. This is something that affects the whole realm and not only Nottinghamshire. In my opinion, this is pushing it too far, but I don't like it either. On top of that, I'm not sure if fitz Edgar is real. I am not yet convinced that he is indeed your brother's son."

The Earl had listened to him attentively. But his answer was to surprise the knight quite a bit. "The Sheriff has never understood what he got in you. He never tried to use your talents, which I am really glad about at the moment. He did you an injustice, for you are quite capable of thinking for yourself. That's what you have just proven to me right now. And you have also shown me that you have a conscience. I could gather that from your words, even if you did not tell us everything. I can assure you now that you are not like Sir Edmund, even though you have made every effort to become like him."

The knight could only gape at the elder in amazement, for these words he had not expected. The Earl had never before given any indication of liking anything about Gisburne. But then he reminded himself that up to now he had always behaved as if he were trying to become like the Sheriff. Or like Edmund of Gisburne.

"We got a problem, Gisburne," Robin Hood chimed in all at once. "And we want you to help us solve it. We don't think the threat to the Earl has ended, even if fitz Edgar has no leverage left at the moment. But until there is an heir to the title of Earl of Huntingdon, he is vulnerable."

The knight nodded, for he could certainly agree with these statements. "That's true," he admitted finally, but then he had to ask the crucial question: "But how can I be of help in this?"

The Earl and Robin Hood looked at each other and then the outlaw nodded at his father as if to get him to continue. The elder, however, shook his head and Hood sighed. Then he turned back to the knight.

"Did you know that I had met your mother at Croxden Abbey?" he wanted to know all at once from Gisburne, who could only stare at him - once again - in surprise. What did his mother have to do with this matter? He opened his mouth to reply, but then he realized that he could not get a single word out.

Robin had obviously realized this as well, for he was already speaking on. "I had the opportunity to speak with her briefly before I had to be on my way again. In the process, she revealed something to me. I immediately had the impression that it seemed very important to her to tell me about it."

Gisburne was startled, for he knew exactly what had seemed important to his mother. And suddenly he was sure he knew what she had betrayed to the outlaw. But for what reason had she done this? Why should she have spoken of this to Robin Hood, of all people? Again, he was unable to answer.

"I still remember everything she said to me. Mostly because I didn't want to believe it." Hood swallowed and the knight realized suddenly that it was not easy for him to talk about that either. In fact, he gave the distinct impression that he did not want to talk about it. At the same time, the knight understood that he had to talk about this encounter.

"The Abbot had earlier revealed to your mother that I was the son of the Earl of Huntingdon, which is probably why she informed me that she should have realized that herself, for I would be very much like him." Hood paused again. "At that moment, I was even a little flattered by that, but her next words shook me. I didn't want to believe them." Again, he paused, and the knight felt himself grow cold. At that moment, he realized that there was no way he wanted to hear what Hood had to say. But he also realized that he could not stop the other one from continuing to speak.

"You are so like your father, she said, not at all like the son he gave me." Robin Hood fell silent and was now looking at the knight very intently. But the Earl was also watching him closely.

Gisburne shook his head. Those were the very words he had been afraid to hear. Those were also the words he did not want to believe, and yet it was already apparent to him that the outlaw had been telling the truth. His refusal to believe those words stemmed mainly from the fact that he did not understand why his mother had confided in a stranger. Or did it have something to do with the fact that she had learned that her son and the outlaw were enemies? Had she wanted to harm him at that time? This was an idea that pained him.

Hood resumed speaking, "She tried to give me the impression that this was about my salvation, but that I didn't buy. There was something else hidden behind those words, much more than she was willing to admit to me."

Gisburne leapt to his feet not wanting to hear anything more. This was a secret he had guarded all his life and now it was being spread out here just like that. This was more than he could bear.

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The knight did not go further than his horse, but he turned his back to the other men, for in this situation he found himself unable to look at them. Above all, he was not able to bear the way they looked at him. But he also did not want them to know how much these words had affected him. Of course, no one - and that included himself - could be surprised that at this point he was not able to just carry on as if nothing significant had been talked about, after all, he had just learned who his father was. After the death of his mother, he had given up any hope of ever being able to uncover this secret. And now he had to learn that she had confided in a stranger and, what was more, in his enemy. He was convinced that she had known about this.

"In the past, you wouldn't have hesitated for a moment," a whisper reached him suddenly. His companion had returned, but he kept himself hidden from the rest.

Gisburne had no choice but to admit that the other man was absolutely right. It was not so long ago that he would have done anything to be recognized as a son by someone like the Earl. And yet he now had to realize that he had no idea what to do. What did Huntingdon have in mind? How could he be of any help to him in this situation? He could think of only one way that would make sense, but surely the Earl would not seriously consider appointing him as his heir? He shuddered, although he was aware that only a short time ago he would have immediately said yes to such an opportunity.

"That thought scares me," he admitted in a low voice.

"That's good," the other one replied.

"Good?" Gisburne did not know what could be good about it.

The other one laughed softly. "Don't forget to tell them over there that it scares you," he advised him before he disappeared once again. Though Gisburne had again heard absolutely nothing, he was sure that the other man had left.

He sighed. He would have liked to get on Fury and ride away. But he realized he could not do that. He had already been actively involved on the Earl's side in this matter - even if he had not known about it - and if the Sheriff found out, it might turn out badly for him. De Rainault tended to react quickly, but also strongly, as soon as he was of the opinion that someone had betrayed him. And in this case, he would definitely assume that as soon as he found out what his steward had done. That alone would not be a poor reason to take the Earl's side. However, the knight could not deny to himself that there was something else that seemed important to him. This time he was not going to ignore the sense that he would find himself on the wrong side if he were to support the Sheriff.

Gisburne turned around and immediately noticed that the Earl and his son were watching him very attentively. But then his eyes fell on the Saracen, whose presence he had completely forgotten, though he certainly had not taken his eyes off him either. He would have had to be deaf and blind not to have caught anything.

"What do you wish that I do, my Lord Earl?" he inquired of the elder man finally. He had made up his mind and realized right away how good it felt to be on the same side as the Earl.

"Can't you guess, Guy?" the older man put forward in a gentle voice, as if he did not want to frighten the knight. But the very use of his Christian name sent a shiver down the knight's spine.

"The whole affair scares me, my Lord," he admitted now, which brought a smile to the Earl's face. Again, a shiver ran down the knight's spine.

"Without an heir, the Earl remains vulnerable. And a son has a greater claim than a nephew," Robin Hood contributed at this point. Even though the outlaw tried to keep any emotion out of his voice, Gisburne could not help but notice how miserable he was with this statement, which, however, he understood very well. After all, he had not been able to miss the fact that the other man was not only renouncing his birthright at this moment, but also handing it over to his enemy.

Since the knight was sure he would not go back on his decision, he went down on one knee in front of the Earl and bowed his head, "Command me, my Lord!"

The Earl did not hesitate. "Despite the fact that today I heard for the first time that you are my son, Guy, I still know this to be the truth. For this reason, I have decided to acknowledge you and I will also make a public announcement that you are henceforth my heir. However, this also implies that you cannot continue to work for the Sheriff."

"I can't just turn my back on the Sheriff, though, my Lord. That would be drawing far too much attention," the knight brought forth. "De Rainault must dismiss me from his service of his own accord."

"But for what reason would he want to do that?" Huntingdon sought to know.

Gisburne smiled, because he had indeed some idea already. "I will give him a reason and I am convinced he will make use of it. After all, he already has a successor for me on hand. I assume, however, that I will need a few days until I am successful. I can only head for Huntingdon afterwards, if that should be your wish, my Lord."

"I'd be glad of that," the Earl replied, and it really came out as if he meant it.

"In that case, it would be a good idea to take your son to his friends right now, so that I can leave for Nottingham afterwards." He took a deep breath. "I swear to you, my Lord, I will not betray you."

When Gisburne rose to his feet, he imagined for a moment that he heard a soft voice issuing the following words: "I'm very proud of you." Even though he was convinced in the next moment that he had only dreamed it up, he still could not deny that these words made him feel good.